Daniel X: Out of Time
by Sakura Martinez
Summary: Sequel to Daniel X: Game Over, told in Dana's POV. The Prayer is up to something-something big and it all starts when Daniel and Khadagh went missing. Full Summary inside.
1. Prologue

**A Daniel X Fanfic**

**by Sakura Martinez**

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Notes:<strong>

As promised, here is the sequel to **Game Over**. You have to had read the said fanfic first before attempting to read this one so that you can fully understand the story.

I was supposed to upload this fanfic at the start of December but some things came up that I needed to push the date back. Also, I took a different route with how the chapters are presented in this fanfic. I won't be posting author's notes every single chapter but would only do so when something important needs to be said. For those who have read **Game Over**, I do hope you read the Terminal Disks extra chapters which can be found on my blog before reading this.

Anyways, that's that. For more news on the fanfic...and other things, just visit my blog. :D

Enjoy reading! :)

* * *

><p><strong>Disclaimer:<strong>

I do not own Daniel X, or the characters in that story. James Patterson own the rights for them. What I do own is the idea for the fanfic and this fanfic itself.

* * *

><p><strong>Summary:<strong>

After surviving Void's Game, being reunited with his _drang_, and learning the truth about Void, Daniel X leaves with Khadagh to prepare for the imminent battle between Number One and Two. But when both Daniel and Khadagh disappears, The Prayer begins his revenge, seeking the aid of a mysterious group. Now, it's a race against time our heroes to put a stop to The Prayer's latest scheme before it's too late and it will take everything in their power to do so.

* * *

><p><strong>Daniel X: Out of Time<strong>

**Prologue**

* * *

><p>I wasn't used to saying goodbye, and I don't think I would ever get used to that. Of course, I shouldn't really think of it as a goodbye. It was more like a see-you-later sort of thing. After all, Daniel was only going to go away for a couple of months to train with Void—with Khadagh...And, we all were going on our separate ways to train; to be ready for when the time for battle comes.<p>

It had been exactly one month and four days since we completed Void's Game. Actually, it was only Daniel who completed it. As embarrassing as it sounds, me, Emma, Willy, and Joe all got erased—kicked out—of the game. And, even though it has already been that long, I still couldn't believe how things had turned out. Mostly I still couldn't wrap my mind around the fact that Void—Khadagh—was actually Daniel from an alternate future who was dragged into our time by Altrea and Graff—Daniel's mom and dad in hopes to give Daniel a chance against The Prayer.

I've listened to the Terminal Disks with Daniel and the others, and even though I have heard of the explanation, I still couldn't help but feel confused. It wasn't like Aunt Altrea and Uncle Graff to break the rules when dealing with time travel, but they broke it. Twice, might I add. Once when they took Khadagh from his own time and dragged him here. The second time was when they helped him imprison the Undinogh from Khadagh's timeline.

They say that when you messed with the flow of time, you are surrendering yourself to the wrath of time itself. I don't like to think about, nor would I say it out loud—especially to Daniel—but there are times that I think that maybe that's what happened with Aunt Altrea and Uncle Graff. Maybe that's the reason why they ended up dead. Because time took revenge on them in the form of The Prayer.

I shook the grim thoughts from my head. These thoughts had been entering my mind since we learned that Daniel was going to go away. Since Khadagh made sure that we understood that we were all going on our separate ways to train before the day of reckoning arrives...which, according to him, was coming soon. He loves giving out apocalyptic news like that. You wouldn't believe the amount of pessimism that seems to be constantly inside of him. It is infuriating and it makes me wonder how, exactly, I had managed to survive living with him for so long.

"You know, I could really use a smile right about now," Daniel's voice cut through the jumble of thoughts that had caught my attention, snapping me from them. He was looking at me with that sheepish smile on his face. His messy blond hair went past his brow, hiding part of his deep, blue eyes. "And, I need all of you here, with me, right at this moment."

He was wearing his parka, a pair of faded, blue jeans and black shirt. Not something you would have thought an Alien Hunter would wear. But, then again, you wouldn't really think of us as anything but a pair of ordinary teenagers who just happen to be standing in a middle of a snow-filled clearing overlooking a cottage that was big enough to house seven Alparians.

"I am here with you," I answered, crossing my arms. The cold didn't bother me and I couldn't say that it was because of what I was wearing, myself: which was a light-pink padded jacket, skinny jeans, and a turtleneck shirt. My blond hair was tied in a ponytail—a hairstyle that Daniel didn't really like on me but I decided to wear anyway for the day.

"No, you're not, Dana," Daniel argued, "You're mind's wandering. You didn't even hear what I had said before."

Normally I would have taken the bait and scoffed at him, argued with him some more. But not today. For some reason I didn't want to engage in our usual, friendly banter.

I sighed, "You can't really blame me, Daniel. You're leaving tomorrow and you won't be back until who-knows-when. This reminds me too much of the last time we said goodbye to each other, that day when you left Alpar Nok."

"But I'm not going to be gone for long, Dana," he had completely turned to face me, taking my hand into his. "I'll be back before you know it. So let's just enjoy the time the others have given for us to be together before Khadagh drags me off."

I let another sigh escape my lips, but in the end I couldn't help smiling as I wrapped my arms around his neck and looked into his eyes and gave him a quick kiss.

"Okay," I gave in, "What do you have in mind?"

Daniel's grin widened as he held me close. He was half a head taller than me. He clapped his hands together and, seconds later, a snow mobile had materialized right behind him, along with two helmets. "How about we start of with a ride?"

I laughed as I broke free from him and grabbed one of the helmets, I wasn't going to let him be the one to drive. Daniel didn't complain, though, as he sat behind me, wrapping his arms around my waist. But, even as I enjoyed his company and tried my best to forget my worries, I couldn't help but have that strange feeling.

The feeling that this was going to be the last time that I would feel the warmth of Daniel's touch, taste his lips, and enjoy his company.

It wasn't supposed to feel like the last day we have together.

It wasn't supposed to be a goodbye.

But when Daniel left with Khadagh, it sure felt that way.


	2. Troubling News

**A Daniel X Fanfic **

**by Sakura Martinez**

* * *

><p><strong>Disclaimer: <strong>

I do not own Daniel X, or the characters in that story. James Patterson own the rights for them. What I do own is the idea for the fanfic and this fanfic itself.

* * *

><p><strong>Summary: <strong>

After surviving Void's Game, being reunited with his drang, and learning the truth about Void, Daniel X leaves with Khadagh to prepare for the imminent battle between Number One and Two. But when both Daniel and Khadagh disappears, The Prayer begins his revenge, seeking the aid of a mysterious group. Now, it's a race against time our heroes to put a stop to The Prayer's latest scheme before it's too late and it will take everything in their power to do so.

* * *

><p><strong>Daniel X: Out of Time<strong>

**Chapter One**

**Troubling News**

* * *

><p>I felt impatient. They wouldn't tell me anything, and judging by the confused looks on Emma, Willy, and Joe's faces, they didn't know why we were suddenly called back either.<p>

We were all inside the mountain cabin we had been using as our headquarters ever since Emma and Willy's parents—Windsor and Graciella—took it upon themselves to be our guardians and ensure our safety, the safety of the last group of Alparian Alien Hunters. Each of us were trying to busy ourselves with something just so we wouldn't go crazy with all the waiting they were making us do. Emma was with Joe, who was tinkering with his Symbiote computer. Willy was tapping his foot while he disassembled and then re-assembled the weapon that was in his hands. I, on the other hand, decided to simply pass time by movie the little crystal ball around the table using my mind.

It was a boring exercise as any but it was better than ripping my hair out in agitation.

I hate waiting. Whether it was for them to tell us what was going on or for Daniel to finally come home.

_Daniel..._

The thought of my blond-haired, blue-eyed, Alien Hunter...boyfriend who was currently on some far-off planet training was enough to shatter my concentration, sending the crystal ball careening towards Willy who, thankfully, chose not to use the weapon on his hand but his own psychic powers to stop the crystal ball from hitting him on the head.

"Hey, watch it, Dana," Willy grunted as he let the crystal ball sail towards me.

I took the ball in my hands.

"Sorry," I apologized, hugging the ball before going back to where I was sitting and where I was minding my own business.

Even though they had made it clear that they didn't hold me responsible for what I had done while I was under Khadagh's wing, I still felt awkward with them, more so with Willy and Joe. That feeling would only disappear when Daniel was with us. Emma, on the other hand, was another matter. Maybe it was because we were both girls but I find it easy to talk with her than I do with the guys.

Emma met my gaze, a worried look on her face as she asked, "Is there something wrong, Dana?"

"What?" That question caused Willy and Joe to study me closely, "No. Why would you ask me that?"

Emma shrugged, "You usually have more control than that,"

"Ah, yeah...Nothing's wrong. I was just...thinking." _About Daniel. _But I didn't say that last bit, there was no need to tell them that. Chances are, they already knew that without even using the standard-issue Alparian Alien Hunter technique of reading other people's minds. Luckily they can't read my mind thanks to my enhanced psychic abilities which I use to create a wall of protection around my mind.

Emma nodded and went back to whatever she and Joe were doing, but not before she gave me a knowing smile. Even Willy seemed to know what that was all about and I couldn't help but wonder if I was that easy to read.

I frowned. _I hope not._

It was only half an hour later when Aunt Graciella and Uncle Windsor finally met with us. It hasn't even years yet since we last saw each other but they looked as though they had aged a lot. It was as if they were carrying the burden of the whole world on their shoulders. Considering what was at steak and what they're responsibilities were, I suppose that isn't far from the truth.

"Mom! Dad!" Willy and Emma both greeted their parents.

The two older Alparians hugged their children back while they both gave me and Joe each a nod of greeting.

"It's good to see you kids," Uncle Windsor said.

"What's this all about, sir?" Joe asked. He then looked at us before turning to Uncle Windsor and Aunt Graciella, "We didn't think you'd call us back so soon. Did something...happen?"

Uncle Windsor looked at his wife before turning his attention back to us, he gestured us to sit to which we all complied. All the while I couldn't help but worry and be fearful of what he was about to say.

"You can say that," Uncle Windsor said after we had all sat down.

"Okay..." Willy said, "Shouldn't we wait for Daniel and Khadagh, though. If this is big, they should be here to hear about it."

There was a look that passed between Uncle Windsor and Aunt Graciella. It was quick, but if you were paying attention, it would have been impossible to miss. And I was paying attention on them. I saw it and my heart dropped to my stomach.

The first thought that came into my mind was: _Something had happened to Daniel._

The second thought was: _Daniel's in trouble...again._

"I'm afraid that is impossible for the moment, children," Aunt Graciella spoke as Uncle Windsor cleared his throat. "The whole reason we called for all of you here is because of him and Khadagh."

We all tensed and Emma even gave me a worried look.

"Now, we don't know for certain if they are in trouble or not but we haven't received any messages from them, which is troubling since Khadagh had never missed a single communication for as long as we know him," Uncle Windsor took the lead. "It might not be a big thing but we were just wondering if Daniel sent any messages to any of you."

All heads immediately turned to my direction and I fought the urge to roll my eyes. Am I really the only one that Daniel would contact? No, wait, don't even answer that.

I shook my head and forced to keep my voice steady as I told them, "No. The last time I heard from him was a week after he left."

"What? He hasn't been calling you, like, every, single day?" Joe asked, as if what I had said was the most absurd thing there was.

I frowned at him, "We're both kind of busy with our training. Besides, it only took that one transmission for Daniel to get into Maerwen's bad side which is why she wouldn't let me make and take phone calls after that."

Willy whistled, "Now _that's _one strict mentor."

I shrugged, not really enjoying the spotlight.

Thankfully, Uncle Windsor cleared his throat and spoke, "Well, it might be nothing. Perhaps we are wrong to worry. They might've have simply lost track of time. Still we can't be too certain about that. Graciella and I will try to look into this a bit more, you four can stay here for the moment. Depending on what we find, we might be taking a little trip to Khadagh's training ground."

We all nodded with Joe nodding a little bit more enthusiastically.

* * *

><p>I lay awake on my bed, in the room that Emma and I were sharing. I wasn't sure if I was the only one left awake...Probably not, if the lights on the communications room were any indication. I kept thinking about the likelihood that Daniel and Khadagh would have just lost track of time and wondered if I am the only one who thought that it might be more than just that. The way everyone was sleeping—well, by "everyone" at the moment I was thinking more of Emma—snoring soundly on her own bed, I couldn't help but think just that.<p>

Maybe it was because I can attest to how much Khadagh likes to keep things on a tight schedule, after all, I had spent quite a number of years following him around and doing his every bidding—which, now that I think about it, was creepy. It was one of those things that contrasted him from Daniel, despite the two being the "same" people.

I closed my eyes, trying to force myself to sleep and, at the same time, trying to get to Daniel in my dreams—just like how I had done, albeit accidentally, before when we were in The Game. I searched for that feeling of being in the middle of the waking and dream worlds. It was what my mentor, Maerwen—an old woman who came from an alien race that specializes in psychic energies, powers, and everything to do with that sort of thing and who also happens to be one of Khadagh's contacts—had called "Dream Walking". Something she had told me was a way of communicating between people who were closely bonded. It was also something she told me no one can simply do at such a young age and that it would take years and years of meditation and training for one to accomplish such a feat. Of course, I didn't tell her that I have managed to do it. The only reason she had told me about it was because I had asked her about it without giving too much details.

I found the place where Daniel and I had talked once a couple of minutes later. I looked around at the clearing, which remained the same as it was before. The grass still went past my knees. The sky was still as blue and crystal clear. The wind was still calm and the leaves, the grass, and the flowers still danced along with it.

The only difference, this time around, was that Daniel wasn't there.

"Daniel," I called out, my voice being carried along by the wind, "I need to talk to you."

I didn't know how Dream Walking was supposed to work but during the times that I had done it, Daniel had come immediately—sometimes even without warning. So it bothered me after a couple of minutes when he didn't show.

"Come on, Daniel," I whispered, closing my eyes and concentrating on pulling him over.

_Maybe he's awake...you don't know what kind of Time Zone he is in. You're worrying over nothing._ I kept thinking to myself. _Daniel would probably laugh at you for over-thinking things and being so grim again._

And with that thought in mind, I gave up trying to call for him and just settled for a troubled sleep.


	3. Gone

**A Daniel X Fanfic**

**by Sakura Martinez**

* * *

><p><strong>Disclaimer:<strong>

I do not own Daniel X, or the characters in that story. James Patterson own the rights for them. What I do own is the idea for the fanfic and this fanfic itself.

* * *

><p><strong>Summary:<strong>

After surviving Void's Game, being reunited with his _drang_, and learning the truth about Void, Daniel X leaves with Khadagh to prepare for the imminent battle between Number One and Two. But when both Daniel and Khadagh disappears, The Prayer begins his revenge, seeking the aid of a mysterious group. Now, it's a race against time for our heroes to put a stop to The Prayer's latest scheme before it's too late and it will take everything in their power to do so.

* * *

><p><strong>Daniel X: Out of Time<strong>

**Chapter Two**

**Gone**

* * *

><p>"Dana, wake up!" I found myself being shaken by Emma, a panicked look on her face. And I knew, at that moment, that whatever was happening wasn't good. It was enough to shake the grogginess out of me.<p>

"What?" I asked, sitting up so fast that Emma and I almost hit our heads. "What happened?"

"Well, apparently dad sent some drones to check up on Khadagh and Daniel, they came back earlier this morning with photographs from the training ground and...it's not good, Dana," Emma said, examining my face as she spoke those words.

"Wh-what do you mean?" Fear bubbled up inside me, as my first thoughts were quickly of Daniel's well-being.

"Hey, girls! Hurry up already!" Willy shouted from outside our door. "We're leaving in five!"

Willy's abrupt announcement cut our discussion short as both Emma and I quickly made our preparations. As soon as we were done, we ran out of our room, down the stairs and towards the spacecraft—which looked like a submarine with wheels and wings—that Khadagh had given to us. By the time we got there, everyone was already strapped in. There was a fierce look on both older Alparians and that look forced me to reserve my question for later.

* * *

><p>The trip to Khadagh's training grounds was a long one, but none of us managed to even fall asleep on our way there. We were all so wired up with worry and fear for the sake of our friend.<p>

I didn't know what to expect, not even what to think as Uncle Windsor and Aunt Graciella kept the details of what they had found—and the whole reason we were rushing towards said training grounds—from us. But not knowing was driving me crazy with all sorts of negative things at it was all I could do not to scream.

We arrived at a small planet not too far from Earth where the sky, the ground, the water—basically everything-was bathed in a reddish hue. A lone house stood in the middle of this small world, and surrounding this house was a large and very intricate set of obstacle course. It was made of rooms made of glass that you can see through and stacked together to look like a miniature version of The Game. Clearly, it was Khadagh's handiwork.

I shook my head.

"And I thought I had it rough with Philos," Joe said in awe at what Daniel was being subjected to every day.

All we can do at that statement was nod in agreement.

If this was the first time that Uncle Windsor and Aunt Graciella had been in this place, they didn't show it. They move with purpose towards the house, taking in everything around them with a sharp eye. Nothing seemed out of place. Everything was as it should be. But we could sense it. Maybe it was the bond that was a part of being in a _drang_, or maybe it was something else entirely but something was wrong...

"It's...to quiet," Emma said, "I can't feel any living thing in this place..."

"Not even Khadagh or Daniel?" I asked, my voice hitching, my heart rate speeding up.

Emma kept silent, but we all moved quickly after their parents. When we got inside the house, everything was different. It was like all hell had broken loose. Tables and chairs were upturned. Dishes and kitchen utensils were either broken into tiny little pieces or were all bent and scattered around the floor. The carpet, which could have once held an elaborate design was singed. The wall of the other side of the room from where we entered had been completely ripped open. There were holes in the ceiling, the floor, and the walls—holes that could have only been made by a gun as powerful as, or even more powerful, than an Opus 50/50.

Uncle Windsor broke from the group, Willy and Joe following him as they went to another room, a bluish-light and a cackle of electricity emanating from it. Aunt Graciella moved past the destroyed part of the wall, walking further down the road and I remembered that she is a sensor and realized that she was trying to track Khadagh and Daniel.

That left me with Emma who took me by the arm and asked, "Are you alright, Dana?"

"I...don't know..." I admitted. "Daniel..."

"I'm sure he's alright. He has Khadagh with him. He won't let anything happen to him," Emma said, but even she didn't sound too sure about that. Khadagh might have promised to ensure Daniel's safety but even he would not dare fight Daniel's battles for him. He couldn't. It was against the rules.

"Do you think...do you think The Prayer found them out?" I couldn't help asking the question as my voice shook.

Emma shook her head, "That can't be. We had more time...we _should_ have had more time. And Khadagh would have been alerted if it was something like that."

"Emma's right," Uncle Windsor suddenly spoke from behind us, emerging from the room. "This isn't The Prayer's doing. If it was, the house and the obstacle course outside wouldn't still be standing. You both know what happened to Daniel's house when The Prayer attacked, right?"

We nodded. The Prayer had burned it to the ground, leaving nothing but the charred remains of the earth and of the house...and a very angry Daniel X.

"The communications room's completely ransacked." Joe said as soon as he joined us. "I guess now we know why Khadagh wasn't able to send any communication. You can't even send a signal in that room even if you tried. And, by the looks of how the assailants did it, they knew what they were doing."

"And they have powerful weapons with them," Added Willy who had checked every scorch mark and every bullet hole. "Makes you wonder who they're working for and who they're supplier is."

"Emma's right, too," Aunt Graciella joined in on the conversation, "I can't get a sense of where Daniel and Khadagh might be but one thing is for sure, they're no longer in this planet any more...or in any neighboring planets. There isn't a trail around. It's like they simply vanished."

They continued to talk about a lot of other things after that, things that I couldn't remember. I had gone in shock. Everything that happened afterwards was a blur. My mind was in as much of a disarray as the house we had found.

_This can't be happening..._

"Are you sure that you can't find their trail, Aunt Graciella?" I asked suddenly that I almost caused Aunt Graciella to jump in surprise. "Maybe something's just blocking you from sensing where they are. I can help you with that. I can amplify your powers so you can search in a much bigger radius."

"Yeah, that's right, Dana can do that." Joe agreed, as if he too had just remembered what my real powers—my real gift—was. "We can't exclude the possibility that someone is cloaking their presence. Maybe Khadagh even made a space for them to hide into while they wait for us to come get them."

There was a murmur of agreement.

Aunt Graciella tried again and Uncle Windsor joined in with the search, all the while I used my powers to boost theirs, focusing all my will, my strength in helping the search for Daniel and Khadagh. Emma, Joe, and Willy combed the area for any clues that we might have missed the first time around.

* * *

><p>Hours passed and our search proved futile. There were still no signs of Daniel and Khadagh nor of their attackers. There wasn't even a trail of blood we could follow. I forced the tears back when Uncle Windsor and Aunt Graciella told us that it was time to go back. They told us they weren't giving up, that they would widen the search and ask for help from the other Alien Hunters that were still around—which was they're way of saying that they will ask for our mentors to help us.<p>

Throughout the ride back, Emma stayed by my side and comforted me. Telling me words of encouragement and of how unlikely it was that a surprise attack would take out two of the most powerful Alien Hunters that we know—even if those that attacked them had high-end weapons and seemed to know what they were doing.

"He's not dead, Dana," Emma whispered to me. "He's only missing. And since he's only missing that means we can find him, we can get him back."

I nodded, but didn't say anything. Still, I was glad and thankful for Emma's optimistic attitude. Thankful that she was there with me as the tears came crashing down.


	4. Friends

**A Daniel X Fanfic **

**by Sakura Martinez**

* * *

><p><strong>Disclaimer: <strong>

I do not own Daniel X, or the characters in that story. James Patterson own the rights for them. What I do own is the idea for the fanfic and this fanfic itself.

* * *

><p><strong>Summary: <strong>

After surviving Void's Game, being reunited with his _drang_, and learning the truth about Void, Daniel X leaves with Khadagh to prepare for the imminent battle between Number One and Two. But when both Daniel and Khadagh disappears, The Prayer begins his revenge, seeking the aid of a mysterious group to put a completely annihilate all Alien Hunters in the galaxy. Now, it's a race against time for Dana, Emma, Willy, and Joe to find Daniel and Khadagh before it's too late.

* * *

><p><strong>Daniel X: Out of Time<strong>

**Chapter Three**

**Friends**

* * *

><p>How do you lock yourself in your room if you don't have a room of your own? If you are sharing the room you are occupying with someone else and when there are no locks? I really don't know how to do that, but I feel like doing it. I wanted to be left alone but Emma didn't give me that luxury. She wouldn't even let me mope around and cry my eyes out—something that I hadn't done in such a long time. Not since Ergent Seth had kidnapped us.<p>

She, Emma, didn't ask me something as stupid as whether or not I was feeling alright. I wasn't and she knew it too. The others were in a state of shock as well. None of us knew what to think. All we could hope for was that both Daniel and Khadagh were alright. That they were alive. Because what Emma had said was true. We can try to rescue them if they were merely captured but if they were dead...well, no one can bring the dead back to life...

The thought of Daniel battered and wounded somewhere caused fresh tears to fall down my cheek and damp my pillow as I kept my head buried. I could hear the others walking around outside our door, the door creaking open every now and then, as they checked up on me. It made me even more frustrated—at myself, at Daniel, at everything. I wasn't supposed to be the moping girlfriend who did nothing to help the situation. I was supposed to be stronger than this, more collected. And I was...back when Khadagh was still using me as a pawn in order to train Daniel and before Daniel came and changed all of that.

But, even knowing that, I couldn't help it. The Alien Hunter in me battled with the girl in me. One wanting to stand up, wash my face, march out of that room and demand that we begin our extensive search; the other wanted nothing more than to remain in my own bed, crying, and waiting for someone to tell me that Daniel was okay, for Daniel to contact me and make the world—my world—right again.

I fell asleep crying. The girl part of me had won over the Alien Hunter.

* * *

><p>"Please..."<p>

I heard a faint voice that dragged me from my dreamless sleep into the place between dream and reality. Someone had called me here and my thoughts immediately went: _Daniel!_

I looked around. It wasn't our clearing that I ended up in. It wasn't even the beach where we had first stumbled into each other after I had ran away from him and the others, having failed to do what Void had asked: to kill Daniel. The place that had materialized before me was anything but sunny, or scenic. It was dark, cold, damp...almost like a cave. It was a miracle that I could even see my hands in-front of me.

I shook my head. _Now's not the time to wonder what this place is..._ and then I called out, letting myself hope, "Daniel? Daniel, are you there?"

"...Help..." he didn't seem to hear me, and I kept straining my eyes trying to find him in the deep darkness that surrounded us. He sounded weak, like he was straining himself just to speak. "Running...out of...air..."

"Running out of air? Daniel, where are you?" I shouted. If that was true, then I didn't have much time dilly-dallying. "Tell me where you are. I'm going to help you."

No words flowed through the darkness, only an image flashed in my mind. It was the same place we had been in only several hours ago—Khadagh's training ground, the red planet. The image flew by so fast that it was only a second before the it changed to an image of the back of the house, then of the small hills that were not that far from there. I was then showed a cave. It was a cave that none of us had noticed while we were searching for any signs of Daniel and Khadagh and I couldn't help but wonder how we could have missed that.

It was sort of like watching a virtual tour from that point on as the vision dragged me deeper into the cave until I was facing a hole that is sealed off by a metal with weird-looking engravings. There was a sort of haze around the metallic seal and for a brief moment I was allowed a look inside.

The hole was deep and the air stifling. The walls that surrounded the hole was smooth making it impossible for anyone to climb back inside. But the hole itself wasn't what had caught my attention but rather the person inside the hole. Even though I couldn't see his face—for he was bowed down and the shadows were making it hard to discern any features of his face—there was no mistaking that messy, blond hair.

It was Daniel.

* * *

><p>I woke up with a start. My mind working so fast as I scrambled out of my bed. My face felt sticky after having cried myself to sleep and I knew that I looked like a mess but I didn't bother to wash my face or even change to a different outfit than the one I fell asleep in.<p>

_I know where to find Daniel!_

My mind was focused solely on that, and the fact that there wasn't any time to waste. As soon as I had my sneakers on, I bolted out of the room, not caring if I wake anyone up or cause a riot. I then made my way out of the house. There was no other way to that planet apart from using the spacecraft and, it didn't occur to me until I was sitting inside the said spacecraft that I didn't have the key for it Uncle Windsor was the only one with the key.

"Damn it!" I pounded my fist on the controls of the ship, gritting my teeth. _How could I have possibly forgotten about that one, important detail!_

"I may not know much about driving this thing but I'm pretty sure getting it to work doesn't require you banging on the console like that." Emma suddenly spoke behind me, surprising me as I whirled around. "And I'm pretty sure mom and dad wouldn't be too happy with you leaving without permission, much less using the only spaceship around, Dana."

I cursed under my breath, backing away from Emma. I suppose I shouldn't have been as surprised to see her, I wasn't exactly the poster girl for sneaking away just now. I knew that I _may_ had caused quite a ruckus while trying to hurry my way out of the house and into the ship. Okay...so I _definitely _did cause quite a lot of noise.

"And, we're not exactly allowed to leave. Mom and dad both think that whoever attacked Daniel and Khadagh would come after us next." Emma went on.

"I can't let you stop me, Emma," I said, even though it wasn't actually Emma who was keeping me from leaving. It was the stupid ship. "I know where Daniel is...I sort of Dream Walked and he showed me where he is being kept."

"We sort of figured that was it," Emma shurgged.

"We?"

It was then that I noticed she wasn't alone, Willy and Joe were with her, standing close to the shadows that I didn't notice them before. So now I was facing not only a possible battle with Emma but with Willy and Joe as well. I figured that I would be able to take on Emma, if the need arose, but to deal with her brother and Joe as well? I don't think I could do it on my own. Certainly not when I'm in such a messy state of mind.

"Sorry, Dana, but we can't let you go." Willy said, as he pushed himself off of the wall of the ship he was leaning on. "Daniel would hunt us down if we do."

"Daniel won't be in able to do anything soon if you don't let me go to him!" I shouted, anger and frustration, laced with worry echoing from my voice. "He needs my help! And I will fight you three if you decide to stand in my way."

"Woah, calm down, Dana." Joe spoke, raising his hands as if in mock-surrender. "No one's saying that we're going to stand in your way. What Willy was saying is that we're not going to let you go by yourself."

And then Emma stepped forward, opening her fists to show me what she was clutching. It was a shiny, square-shaped rock that glowed silver—the key.

"What are you—?" I couldn't even finish my question. My head was swirling.

"Daniel's our friend, too, Dana," Emma said smiling, as she handed Willy the key and he went to start the ship's engine. "And so are you. We're not going to let you go off on your own."

"Friends don't let their friends do stupid things on their own," grinned Willy as we all began strapping ourselves in. Then he turned to me, sitting shotgun, and asked, "So, where to?"

"The Red Planet," I told him, "And step on it."


	5. The One Left Behind

**A Daniel X Fanfic**

**by Sakura Martinez**

* * *

><p><strong>Disclaimer:<strong>

I do not own Daniel X, or the characters in that story. James Patterson own the rights for them. What I do own is the idea for the fanfic and this fanfic itself.

* * *

><p><strong>Summary:<strong>

After surviving Void's Game, being reunited with his _drang_, and learning the truth about Void, Daniel X leaves with Khadagh to prepare for the imminent battle between Number One and Two. But when both Daniel and Khadagh disappears, The Prayer begins his revenge, seeking the aid of a mysterious group to put a completely annihilate all Alien Hunters in the galaxy. Now, it's a race against time for Dana, Emma, Willy, and Joe to find Daniel and Khadagh before it's too late.

* * *

><p><strong>Daniel X: Out of Time<strong>

**Chapter Four**

**The One Left Behind**

* * *

><p>I realized that one of the good things about having someone like Joe and Willy around for this particular rescue mission was that they really knew what they were doing. They also happen to know one thing that Uncle Windsor and Aunt Graciella might not have known about the spaceship: that there was a hyper-speed option. Thankfully, both of them knew just how important it was that we hurry and Joe did his thing-this whole upgrading-thing-that allowed us to even go beyond hyper-speed.<p>

I chanced a glance at my companions-my..._friends_-and saw the serious look, the dedication, and the strong resolve in their faces. I closed my eyes, centering my thoughts and calming my nerves, shaking the fear that I felt and allowing the Alien Hunter in me to take control.

_There is no use panicking. We are heading for Daniel. We would make it in time. _I kept telling myself that and it helped. The scared, helpless girl transformed into a confident, no-nonsense hunter.

During the trip, I told them what Daniel had showed me while Emma forced me to wash my face-which I did at the small restroom that was installed in the ship. I told them the exact location of where Daniel was being kept.

"How could we miss _that_?" Willy shook his head while keeping his eye focused on where we were going, making sure we don't hit any stray asteroids or large chunks of space debris that would scratch the ship or worse. "Didn't you say you couldn't detect any life form in that planet?"

He directed that last question to Emma, who had been standing beside me as I tied my hair in a ponytail.

I saw Emma frown. "I swear I there weren't any life forms in there. Besides, even when Dana boosted mom and dad's powers, even they couldn't get a reading on Daniel and Khadagh."

"That's right," I agreed with Emma, "Uncle Windsor and Aunt Graciella's powers should have extended to the whole of the Red Planet after I enhanced their powers." After a while I voiced out what I thought of the matter, "Maybe it's because of that thing that sealed the hole's entrance."

"What 'thing'?" Joe perked up. "Is it some form of alien technology?"

_Trust Joe to suddenly become animated with that sort of thing..._ I couldn't help but smile slightly at that thought, especially at the way Daniel had "made" the 'other' Joe-the one who he had made with his powers in order to help him. He had introduced us to those versions of ourselves. At first, it was kind of creepy and weird and strange and a whole lot of other things but, after you've looked past what these "people" are, you would have to agree that what Daniel did was sort of ingenious. And, _they_ did help him out long before we even came to the picture.

"I don't know but there was this metallic thing on the hole and it had some engravings on it. If that doesn't have anything to do with why Emma, Uncle Windsor, and Aunt Graciella didn't pick up that place where Daniel's being kept, then maybe it's the reason why Daniel can't use his powers to get himself out of there. Either that or he is seriously wounded..."

"I'm not sure which one I would like more," Willy shook his head. I glared at him and when he saw the look on my face, he began to explain why. "Don't look at me like that. Think about it you guys. If something can keep Daniel from using his powers-apart from Dana and Khadagh's machine or whatever-then it could also be possible that whoever attacked Daniel and Khadagh could use whatever that he-or she-used to keep us from using our own powers. If Daniel is seriously wounded, he might bleed to death or whatever-and that _is_ bad-but that would mean that that is the sole reason why he can't help himself at the moment."

"He...does have a point," Joe muttered. "I think I would rather find a badly wounded Daniel than to find that someone, apart from Khadagh, had figured out how to seal our powers-or Daniel's powers."

Silence filled us and it got even deeper as we neared the Red Planet. I suppose all of us were mulling over that fact but, unlike wondering which was better, I knew which one it was. It would be better if we were wrong. That Daniel wasn't severely wounded and that there was no alien technology around that could mimic what I could do and what Void-Khadagh-had done to Daniel before.

* * *

><p>Willy and Joe led us to a hidden garage that held two motorbikes-looking vehicles, and a car that had a large hole on the windshield. Something that they said they found before but Uncle Windsor had told them not to touch. We knew that walking and running at super-speed was out of the picture as we wanted to conserve as much strength as we could, we didn't know what to expect once we get to the cave, after all. And so, despite what Uncle Windsor had warned them, Willy and Joe picked the two motorbikes-the hovercycles-and got them working. Emma and I rode at the back, she with her brother and I with Joe. For some reason-one that I feel I know-Emma didn't look too thrilled with the arrangement but Willy would not have it any other way.<p>

"Bikes are dangerous," he had said.

To which Emma had retorted, "And so is fighting with aliens and looking for Daniel like this but you're letting me do both of that."

Still, Willy didn't let her ride with Joe. I raised an eyebrow at Joe silently asking him what that was all about, but he only smiled sheepishly before looking away and revving the engine. And, before Emma could protest even further, we rode off.

The hovercycle we used had one singular wheel that surrounds the body of the bike, which is made up of a slick, shiny, white metal. A force filed shoots out once the engine is up and running, making sure that the passengers of the motorcycle are safe. Two thrusters are attached at the back of the vehicle, sandwiching the wheel. If you are having a hard time imagining it, think of a slick, white-colored pod with a large wheel surrounding it vertically and you pretty much have the general idea.

The inside of the pod is roomier than you would think, though. The seats-for there were two one for the driver and another for the passenger-were leather-made and as black as the rest of the inside. The hovercycle was also well-equipped with a radar, a digital and three-dimensional map that features the terrain of the planet, a display and a communicator which Joe had informed we can use to talk with Emma and Willy while riding separately, a small machine gun-looking weapon that was mounted at the back (which can also be controlled by the passenger at the back), emergency rations, and a bunch of other levers, buttons, switches that, at that point, none of us actually knew what they were for and neither Willy or Joe wanted to try out.

The hovercycle, I suppose, was an all-terrain vehicle as it didn't have a hard time moving along what would otherwise be hazardous terrain. It didn't even had problems climbing rocky cliffs-which we had to get past in order to get to the cluster of caves where Daniel was.

During the ride, as tense as I was, I needed something to think about other than the pessimistic thoughts whirling around my head.

And so, I blurted out the first thing that came to mind. "So, what's up with you and Willy? He seems to be getting out of his way to make sure you and Emma don't hang out as often as you did."

With how our hovercraft lost control, swerving out of the path that Willy and Emma were leading us down into and almost crashing at a large, red, boulder then a red palm tree, I was pretty sure Joe didn't expect me to ask him that question, or even to talk so casually with him. I admit, this was the first time we'd been alone together and the first time I talked with him or asked him a question, that doesn't revolve around alien hunting, alien technologies, computers, gadgets, and what-not. So, I suppose I couldn't really blame him for his reaction.

Even though that was the case, I still couldn't help but shout at him, "Geez, are you trying to kill us?"

"S-sorry," Joe squeaked before clearing his throat, "I, uh, well, you just surprised me, that's all."

"Me or my question?" I teased, leaning forward on my seat, trying to get a better look of his face.

"Uh, both, I guess?" there was a subtle hint of red in Joe's face. "Maybe you should ask Emma about that, or Willy...I'm not really comfortable with this kind of talk."

I couldn't help but give a little laugh at that. "No kidding."

"You're one to talk," Joe smiled, "You should know how it feels like. It's entertaining to watch you when someone asks you about Daniel and your relationship with him."

I almost choked at what he said, which only made his smile grow wider.

* * *

><p>We raced through the cave as soon as we got off of the hovercycles, hurrying but being careful at the same time. I followed the same path that I had seen in my dream, all of us carrying flashlights that we got from the emergency kit..<p>

It-the cave-was damp and rocky. The moss that grew inside made it slipper and hard to walk on. The path we took spiraled down and narrow. To our left, as we went our way, was a large pit you can easily fall into, the bottom hidden behind the veil of darkness and we had to stick close to the wall just so we wouldn't end up spelunking to our deaths.

My nerves were frayed by the time we got to the lowest level of the cave, close to where I had seen Daniel was being kept. The jovial exchange between Joe and I, forgotten. I kept thinking: _What if we're already too late? What if we open the hole and see Daniel already dead?_

But I couldn't think like that for long, because soon we were flying-figuratively-towards the sealed-off hole. Once there, Joe and Willy immediately set to work. You would think that the strength of two, male Alparian Alien Hunter would have been enough to lift the metal off of the hole. It wasn't. Emma and I had to help out too and it took so long before we managed to push it away. Yes, push it. We couldn't even pull it off. We had to push it-all four of us.

"What the heck is that _thing _made of?" Willy huffed, bent over. His hands over his knees. Beads of sweat on his forehead.

"No time to check that out," Emma and I said in unison just as Joe was about to inspect the seal.

"R-right. Let's go get Daniel," Joe nodded and we all ran towards the hole.

I skidded as I reached the hole, sliding and bending over to get a much clearer view. The hole was deeper than I had first thought and I couldn't see anything, anyone-not even a sign of movement. I looked over at Emma. She didn't need me to tell her what to do, she simply closed her eyes, placed both her hands on the ground and concentrated on raising the bottom of the hole so that we wouldn't need to climb down, or rappel down, to Daniel.

The earth rumbled as the bottom of the hole was slowly being elevated.

I held my breath and although I was pretty sure it didn't take much more than a minute, it felt like an entire year had gone by before the rumbling stopped and we came face to face with a battered Daniel.

But...

It wasn't the Daniel I was hoping to see. The Daniel I was worried about.

It was the 'other' Daniel. The Daniel from the alternate future.

It was Khadagh.


	6. Escape From the Red Planet

**A Daniel X Fanfic **

**by Sakura Martinez**

* * *

><p><strong>Disclaimer: <strong>

I do not own Daniel X, or the characters in that story. James Patterson own the rights for them. What I do own is the idea for the fanfic and this fanfic itself.

* * *

><p><strong>Summary: <strong>

After surviving Void's Game, being reunited with his _drang_, and learning the truth about Void, Daniel X leaves with Khadagh to prepare for the imminent battle between Number One and Two. But when both Daniel and Khadagh disappears, The Prayer begins his revenge, seeking the aid of a mysterious group to put a completely annihilate all Alien Hunters in the galaxy. Now, it's a race against time for Dana, Emma, Willy, and Joe to find Daniel and Khadagh before it's too late.

* * *

><p><strong>Daniel X: Out of Time <strong>

**Chapter Five**

**Escape From The Red Planet**

* * *

><p>We were stunned.<p>

_All_ of us.

"Khadagh...?" I wanted to demand answers, but all that came out of my addled brain and my mouth was his name-the name he had asked us to call him to avoid confusion.

Khadagh's breathing was labored, his shirt was damp-not only with sweat, but with blood. Dried blood also encrusted half of his swollen face which held a pained look in it. Flecks of blood also splattered half of his pants and the tip of his shoes. His hair was even messier, blood and dirt mixing with the blond color of his hair. I had never seen Daniel in as much of a bad shape than Khadagh was currently on.

He slowly opened his left eye, and even that looked like it was a chore. A pained smile appeared on his face as he greeted, "H-hey..." and then he was out like a light.

I rushed to his side. He may not be my Daniel-the Daniel I was looking for-but he knows what had happened. He can shed a light to it and can tell us, then we can go and rescue Daniel. Provided we still have time and that I didn't just sign Daniel's death warrant by saving Khadagh.

I shook the thought away as I checked for a pulse. There was a pulse, albeit a weak one.

I sighed in relief before looking at my companions who-like me-hadn't been expecting to see Khadagh.

"He's just unconscious," I informed them. Then shook my head, "I don't understand. I was sure Daniel was the one being held here..."

"Well it was Daniel, sort of," Emma said, "Anyway, we better get out of here before-"

Emma didn't get to finish what she was about to say, because even before she could, someone fired at us.

We didn't look over to see who it was, Willy and Joe pulled Khadagh to his feet, both of them supporting him as they dragged him with us as we ran. It was hard trying to avoid the laser fire but we managed to do so. We weren't as cautious as we were before as we scrambled out of the cave.

I boarded one of the hovercycles that we had on standby. Willy and Joe then dumped Khadagh on me and wouldn't hear my sounds of protest as Joe quickly jumped to his own seat, revved the engine up and sped away from the cave. Willy did the same but this time he let Emma maneuver. We sped out of there with the laser firing and our pursuer hot on our trail.

We thought we could outrun our gunner with the hovercylces but that wasn't the case. A group of hovercycles roared after us, firing away.

"How could we miss that?" I couldn't help exclaiming as I tried to find a comfortable position at the back. "How could we not have seen them?"

"The same reason why we weren't able to tell the first time around that Khadagh was being kept in there?" Joe guessed as he switched the communicator open and the screen fired to life showing both Willy and Emma. "We can't lead them back to the ship!"

"I know," Willy nodded, "that is, if they hadn't sabotaged it already. Who knows what they'd been doing and where these guys were while we were trying to do our rescue."

"Watch out!" I cried out as I saw one of the hovercycles suddenly fire a missile at us. Joe swerved to the right, evading the missile at the last second.

The sudden movement caused Khadagh to slide further next to me, a groan escaped his lips. Suddenly, I felt ticked off. I wanted to smack Khadagh in the head, despite his injuries.

"Do you think you can fire back at them?" Joe asked me as he evaded another attack.

"I'm on it," was my answer as I took the weapon in my hands and swiveled my chair to face our pursuers, trying hard not to notice the stench of blood and Khadagh's overall presence.

It wasn't easy.

Thankfully, I had the machine gun and I turned my frustration and anger into something productive. I fired at the hovercycles, Emma doing the same on the other vehicle, causing as much damage to our pursuers as possible. It didn't take long before we managed to shot down two of them.

_Only four left._

Instead of following the same path we took to get to the caves, we took a different path to get back to the spacecraft, making sure to confuse those that were trying to harm us. But we were worried. Willy could be right, still, we didn't have any choice. We didn't have any back-up plan. No other way to get back to Earth and no one to call for help. We were all on our own and we could do nothing but trust that they were just as surprised of our arrival as we are to find Khadagh the one being kept in that hole instead of Daniel.

"Dana, to your left!" Emma warned me, and as if on relex, I jerked the gun to that direction and fired, hitting another hovercycle which exploded in a shower of sparks, fire, and debris.

"Thanks," I told her, and she nodded.

_Three left._

I was just thinking about how easy it was, shooting them down, and how we were getting lucky, that we were going to get to the ship unscathed when the black colored hovercraft suddenly began firing at us. The weapon on that hovercraft that had taken the lead to attack was much more different than those on the other hovercrafts-ours included. It didn't just have a singular type of bullet or gun as it seems. One shot seems to be consisted of five to ten different kinds of bullets. I couldn't really help but wonder how that could be possible.

Joe did an amazing job, evading the bullets and under normal circumstances, I think we would have been able to escape unscathed. But that wasn't a normal circumstance, even by our standards. Before long, the rider of the black hovercycle managed to shoot us down, throwing us off the path.

I was coughing from the smoke and from the dust, my eyes watering before the barrier opened and Joe dragged me to my feet before going to Khadagh. Willy and Emma's hovercycle stopped in front of us, acting in our defense against the two remaining hovercycles-the third one having just been shot down by Emma.

The barrier at Emma's side opened and Joe quickly pushed Khadagh in. Emma gave him the same annoyed expression that I gave them when they pushed Khadagh on me.

"Take him and head straight to the ship, have Willy start it as soon as you can," He instructed her, half-shouting as the sounds of weapons firing drowned him out from time to time.

"What about you two?" Emma asked, a worried expression on her face as she fired back.

"We'll make a run for it," Joe answered, "We'll meet you guys at the ship."

He then took a step back before either Emma or me could protest. Turning to Willy, Joe shouted, "Go!". Willy didn't need to be told twice and he surprised our pursuers, and me, when he turned the hovercycle to their direction and zoomed towards them. Our enemies fired, but even as close as Willy and Emma were getting towards them, they still missed. And, when they were close enough that I thought Willy was planning to crash into their hovercycles, he pulled the hovercycle up and it flew over the two other crafts before speeding away.

It took a second or two for the two other hovercycles to decide what to do. When they finally did, the black one opted to go after Willy, Emma, and Khadagh, while the other one decided to face against us.

Joe looked at me, "I think it would be best if we deal with this now than have it follow us around."

"I think what you mean is you want _me_ to deal with it," I gave him a smirk, "Unless, of course, you learned a thing or two-a power of two-apart from using that Symbiote of yours."

Joe sighed, "I haven't been thought that much yet, but apparently I would learn eventually how to use my powers for more than hacking, research, and being great at video games. So, until then, would you do the honors, Dana?"

Before I could say anything the hovercycle began firing at us. A psychic barrier around both Joe and myself, stopping the bullets in their tracks.

"You know," Joe said nonchalantly as he looked back at the charred remains of our hovercraft, as if this was just another picnic and we weren't in any mortal peril. "It makes me wonder why we didn't do this in the first place. Put a psychic-energy shield around our ride. It could have saved us the trouble."

He had a point. I sort of forgot that I could do that and it was only by surprise that I got the barrier up and running.

"No use crying over spilled milk," I told Joe, focusing my thoughts on trying to get a clear view of who our attacker was and what he-or she, or it-wanted. I can do that, after all. We all could, being Alparian Alien Hunters. But I could do it much more easily than Daniel, Emma, Willy, or Joe.

The thing was, I couldn't get a sense of what our pursuer wanted or what he-or she-is thinking. All I could get was a big, black abyss of thoughts filled with nothingness. It was creepy, strange, weird, and abnormal. The only ones not capable of thought were...

"Joe..." I whispered tentatively. The idea that popped into my head wasn't at all farfetched. "I think we might have to use your powers after all."

"What are you talking about? Just kick that guy's butt already," he whined even though there was a look on his face that told me he was more than willing to use his powers.

"I will just as soon as we figure out who these guys are and why they are after Khadagh and us," I answered as I kept the barrier up and running. It was getting hard as the rider of the hovercycle and his-or her-accomplice continued their relentless assault on us. "I can't get a read on what's in their minds and that only happens if they have a much stronger mental barrier than myself or-"

"If they're machines," Joe finished for me as he immediately went for his Symbiote and began typing at it with ferocity, his fingers flying over the keypad at a speed that no human could ever possess.

I nodded and tried to be patient. But with every passing second it seemed as though the attacks were getting stronger. So much stronger, in fact, that I began to worry that the barrier wouldn't hold. My worry proved as a distraction, and for a moment the barrier _did_ falter causing one shell to explode a couple of feet from us, showering us with red sand and little bits of shrapnel that sliced through our arms, legs, and even a little bit on our faces.

I winced, biting back a whimper. That had hurt. But that was enough of a wake-up call for me to amplify the power I was putting on the barrier.

"You okay?" Joe asked me, momentarily pausing from whatever he was doing with his Symbiote-which I really hope was something helpful that could give us an idea on who our new enemies were before I wreck the hovercycle.

"Don't mind me," I told him, then gestured for him to continue on with what he was doing, "But do hurry up!"

He nodded and went back to work. Seconds later, the Symbiote transformed into something that was shaped like a gun with a small monitor mounted where the aim should have been. The screen was green and was divided by a lighter-green line that created four quadrants: one in the northwest, another in the southwest, the third on the northeast, and the last one on the southeast. There were things written with the use of the Alparian letters but it was hard to tell what it was because the font in which it was written with was small. A small beep rhythmically sounded every second or so from the gadget that Joe had transformed his Symbiote into.

Instead of answering the question that was painted on the expression of my face, Joe pointed the "gun" towards the hovercraft who was still firing at us. A word flashed on the monitor. "Scanning" it had said. Another second passed us by before a silhouette of two people was displayed on the monitor.

"Well, that confirms it," Joe said, looking at me with a grim expression on his face. "You were right. They're machines. Better end this now or we could be facing more than just these guys."

There was no need to say anything after that. Slowly I turned my power and my concentration on destroying the hovercycle. As much as I would rather not use my powers to destroy things, it couldn't be helped. With as much as I _wanted_ to get out of there and be done with these machines-these robots-the hovercycle rose up in the air, twisting and turning, like it-and its passengers-were made of nothing but jelly. And then, it was over. The firing stopped.

And then we left. Running as fast as we could while being as careful as we possibly could at such a speed, leaving a huge, metallic, pretzel-shaped blob behind.

* * *

><p>We hadn't at all made it very far before the ship suddenly zoomed at us, hovering a few feet above ground. The door was open, Emma standing near it.<p>

"I guess we took too long," Joe muttered before the ground beneath our feet started shaking and rising up. Seconds later, we jumped and landed inside the ship, the pillar that had rose to boost us up crumbling as soon as we did so.

"You two look like a mess," Emma greeted us as she went to pick up the first aid kit.

I looked over at our reflection at the door. She was right. We did look like a mess. Like we had just traversed a desert for days. Parts of our clothes were ripped and small gashes were on our faces, our arms, our legs, and even our neck from the shrapnel that flew from that lone shell that had passed through my defenses.

"Whoa," Joe shook his head as he looked at his shoes, which I remembered him saying was brand new but now looked as though a homeless man owned it. Then he looked at me, "You know, if Daniel was here and he saw what you look like, that guy who fired at us would be in big trouble and-"

He saw the look of sadness and pain and worry that flashed on my face. And then his own expression changed to one of surprise.

"Oh, God..." He said, "I'm sorry, Dana. I didn't mean...I forgot..."

I shook my head. It was kind of easy to forget after what we had been through. "It's okay."

"I hate to break it to you two," Emma returned handing us wet towels to wipe our faces with. "But _we_ are the ones in deep trouble, and it's not just because Daniel's missing. The guy who came after us when we split up? Well, we kind of know who he is."

"A machine? That's what the two guys who stayed behind were," Joe told Emma.

"I wish that was the case," Willy said, joining in on the conversation as he put the ship on auto-pilot. "But, no. The guy wasn't a machine, not even a cyborg or an android or one of those terminator-things we fought in The Game."

Willy then looked over at Emma, giving her the responsibility to tell us what they saw, what they know about our adversary.

She didn't like it, but she knew she had to tell us...or that we'd eventually know. And so, Emma took a deep breath before saying, "The guy who was chasing us? It was someone who we're pretty familiar with and I'm pretty sure Khadagh would know about him as well." she looked at Willy who nodded, "Khadagh is from an alternate future, right? Well...the guy who was chasing it was, we think, from that alternate future, too."

"Who?" I asked, not really sure what to feel about that news.

"Me," Willy growled. "I think it was the alternate future me."


	7. Consequence

**A Daniel X Fanfic**

**by Sakura Martinez**

* * *

><p><strong>Disclaimer:<strong>

I do not own Daniel X, or the characters in that story. James Patterson own the rights for them. What I do own is the idea for the fanfic and this fanfic itself.

* * *

><p><strong>Summary:<strong>

After surviving Void's Game, being reunited with his _drang_, and learning the truth about Void, Daniel X After surviving Void's Game, being reunited with his _drang_, and learning the truth about Void, Daniel X leaves with Khadagh to prepare for the imminent battle between Number One and Two. But when both Daniel and Khadagh disappears, The Prayer begins his revenge, seeking the aid of a mysterious group to put a completely annihilate all Alien Hunters in the galaxy. Now, it's a race against time for Dana, Emma, Willy, and Joe to find Daniel and Khadagh before it's too late.

* * *

><p><strong>Daniel X: Out of Time<strong>

**Chapter Six**

**Consequence**

* * *

><p>There was silence before Joe and I both started protesting. Started telling that that was impossible. There was no way that another alternate future version of someone we know would end up in this time—our time. What's more it was impossible for Willy to even do something like this—kidnap (and possibly hurt) Daniel and then go against us. Granted the alternate future Daniel did that, too but his reason was that he was training our Daniel.<p>

"Besides," Joe pointed out, "There's no one left who can drag someone from the future—an alternate one at that—into our time. The only people capable of doing that are Daniel and Khadagh."

"And," I added, "how did you even come to a conclusion that it was Willy? It's not like he introduced himself to you, right?"

"Because he used my weapon against us," Willy said, raking his hair with his hand, making it stand up and even spikier than before. "A weapon that my mentor—Broadwick—said was engraved on _my_ DNA. Which means that I'm the only one who can use it." he scowled, "I should have realized that that thing was responsible for why Khadagh's house looked like that."

"What if this Boradwick is wrong, what if he got that information mixed up?" I asked. I couldn't bare to think of how much of a problem we were facing if it was indeed a Willy from a different time plane. "He _is_ pretty old, like the others, right?"

"He might be a hundred-and-fifty years old but he's not senile," Willy retorted.

"But that would mean that—" Joe shook his head, not even willing to finish that sentence.

"—that the time hole Altrea and Graff had created, wasn't closed off," came a voice as Khadagh emerged from the infirmary room, still looking like he had been through hell and back. Blood still matted his face, his hair, his shirt. His left face was still swollen, too. A hand pressing on his ribs and he was limping as he walked to join our little meeting. He closed his eyes and I could tell that he was still in pain as he spoke, "Emma and Willy are right in their guess as to who that guy who attacked us was."

"So, he really is another Willy?" Joe asked. His fascination was laced with worry.

Khadagh nodded and winced, "Daniel and I were discussing the possibility that the _drang_ is still alive on my own timeline, just like how you four are still alive. And how it seems that my timeline is pretty much different from yours, we had this 'what if' scenario of what could have happened if I didn't come looking for you four. If Ergent Seth managed to recapture you four after your daring escape. One of the probable scenarios was that you would end up serving Seth before I ended his life, after which, I told Daniel that the possibility of you guys turning into mercenaries would likely be what could have happened next. He wasn't happy hearing me say that. He is much to naïve still...but, it seems with the appearance of _that_ Willy, my assumptions were proven true."

"Good to know that you have such faith in us," Emma rolled her eyes.

"It's not so much about faith as it is with being realistic," Khadagh explained, "Even a strong person—both in mind and body—would crumble if given the proper de-motivator, you are only delluding yourself if you think that someone would come out the same after undergoing heinous rounds of torture and Ergent Seth, for one, knows a lot about that."

Another round of silence, and I couldn't take it anymore. I stomped towards him, my fists balled. It was all I could do not to have an outburst while he was talking; not to suddenly—but explicably—and just pummel him for all that I was worth.

"Where is he?" I asked, my voice was low but I was sure it carried enough venom to kill of even The Prayer himself, "Where is Daniel?"

Khadagh looked away, and I was sure that it was his way of saying he didn't want to discuss it right now. But I wasn't to let him slip off that easily. And I wasn't going to let him make me wait.

"Tell me where he is!"

Khadagh sighed before he answered my demand, "They...took him."

"They?" Emma asked.

"What do you mean 'they took him'?" I was all but shouting at him, infuriated. "You were supposed to be watching out for him! You said that you would!"

Joe and Willy had to hold me back.

"Dana, come on, calm down," Willy said.

Khadagh backed away, raising his hands in surrender, "Daniel was undergoing his daily routines when they came. They were well equipped and we didn't know who those people were. They hid their identity well. They were faster than us. If they had planned to attack us, they had planned well. We were more than outnumbered, we were outmatched, too. Two against thirty. Daniel and I both agreed to send an SOS signal. I told him I would do it and instructed him to hide away while I did. When I got back to house, four of our masked assailants were already waiting for me there. It took all I had to fight them off and get out of that house alive. I figured that if I could get them to come after me, that would give Daniel enough time to run."

"Then that two of them broke from the group and before I knew it my strength was being taken away from me. They managed to get to me. Still I fought back and I ended up looking like this. When they were done beating me up, those two dragged me off to that cave and into that pit and then they locked me up there."

"You say that they took Daniel but you didn't actually see them do so?" Emma asked, just to be sure.

"Well, if you four were out there and you aren't too happy to see me now, add that to the fact that girlfriend over there is asking me where Daniel is, it's not hard to come up with that conclusion," There was a bored look on Khadagh's face as he spoke.

"Don't call me that!" I hissed.

Khadagh slowly sat down, grunting as he did so.

"Alright, I won't. I don't really want to argue with you guys." he said, paused then added, "I didn't actually know that one of the people who attacked us was someone from the alternate future like me. I suppose it is safe to assume that the three other masked assailants we had in the house would be the alternate universe versions of you, Emma, and Joe. This is problematic."

_You think?_ I wanted to retort, but chose not and instead just glare at him for all that I was worth.

"Any reason why they would be in our time and why they've beat you up and took Daniel away?" Joe asked.

"I could think of a bunch of reasons why I want to beat him up," I muttered under my breath. I was pretty sure they heard me, though, but chose to not comment on what I said.

"I don't know. Like I've said in the Terminal Disks, I didn't really know you guys were alive or what had happened to you. I am not even sure how it was possible that the time hole is still open for them to be able to end up here. I was certain that Altrea and Graff had sealed it off. Undinogh and his men were the only ones who were dragged into this timeline when they took me away."

Khadagh was about to say something else but the communicator in the ship suddenly started beeping like mad. The four of us—me, Willy, Emma, and Joe—all looked at each other, an uncertain look passing over our faces as we let the communicator ring.

"Aren't you guys going to answer that?" Khadagh asked, confused. None of us answered, and I suppose he was able to see the guilty looks on our faces because understanding dawned in his face which was starting to look less swollen as his Alparian healing abilities kicked in. "Graciella and Windsor didn't know what you four did."

He sighed as he stood up and took it upon himself to answer the call. Uncle Windsor's angry face greeted us, behind him Aunt Graciella didn't look any happier. Although, the look of angry looks on their faces faltered a little when they saw who it was that they were facing.

"Khadagh?" Uncle Windsor didn't sound too sure that Khadagh was indeed the person he was facing.

"Windsor, Graciella, nice to see you again," Khadagh spoke in a clipped manner, trying to look as though he was perfectly fine.

"It's great to see you, too," Aunt Graciella gushed, a look of relief completely obliterated the angry expression that was there moments before. "Is Daniel alright? Are the children alright?"

"Ah, about that, I am afraid they only found me, Daniel has been taken away," Khadagh answered. _How could he sound so nonchalant about Daniel being taken away? _"I can't say much apart from that as I am still trying to figure out who had attacked us."

"You don't know who attacked you and took Daniel away and where they brought him?" Uncle Windsor sounded surprised, which makes sense since they seem to think Khadagh would know everything being from the future an all. They seem to forget, from time to time, that he is from an _alternate_ future.

"I don't, but there were clues and I am planning to follow where those breadcrumbs would lead me. For that purpose I would like to bring these guys with me." He jerked his thumb towards us. The way he spoke to Uncle Windsor and Aunt Graciella was very different from how he spoke with us. He sounded more mature towards them.

"But what about their training? Their mentors are expecting them to be back soon while the search for Daniel is being conducted," Uncle Windsor asked and my hunch that they wouldn't let us help look for him was proven true with that statement.

"Don't worry about their training, this would be a good training ground for them any way," Khadagh answered as if it wasn't a big deal and he had planned this all along. "As much as I wouldn't want to put them in danger, I think they would prove vital in the success of finding Daniel. As you can see, if I go through with this, I would most definitely be outmatched again. There is power in numbers—something that Daniel had made me remember."

Uncle Windsor and Aunt Graciella didn't speak for a moment after that, but in the end they agreed and they told us to listen to what Khadagh has to say, to follow his instructions, and to be safe. And then they logged out.

Khadagh sighed and then turned to face us, his face was completely healed although the dirt, the blood, and the grime still remained on it.

"So, what exactly is the plan? And why didn't you tell mom and dad about the guests from the alternate future that we have to deal with?" Willy asked, crossing his arm.

"I couldn't tell them because that would only cause panic," came the answer as Khadagh took the helm of the ship, "And as for the plan, I'm not really sure. But, what I want to do is check up on something, and for that we're going on a trip."

"To where?" I asked, mimicking Willy's posture.

"To the place where my life in this timeline began," was his answer. "Because I have a feeling that's the place where we'll find our answer...and perhaps a glimpse of the consequences that Altrea and Graff's action of bringing me here had caused."


	8. At Chronos' Gate

**A Daniel X Fanfic**

**by Sakura Martinez**

* * *

><p><strong>Disclaimer:<strong>

I do not own Daniel X, or the characters in that story. James Patterson own the rights for them. What I do own is the idea for the fanfic and this fanfic itself.

* * *

><p><strong>Summary:<strong>

After surviving Void's Game, being reunited with his _drang_, and learning the truth about Void, Daniel X leaves with Khadagh to prepare for the imminent battle between Number One and Two. But when both Daniel and Khadagh disappears, The Prayer begins his revenge, seeking the aid of a mysterious group. Now, it's a race against time our heroes to put a stop to The Prayer's latest scheme before it's too late and it will take everything in their power to do so.

* * *

><p><strong>Daniel X: Out of Time<strong>

**Chapter Seven**

**At Chronos' Gate**

* * *

><p>There was no change of clothes on the ship. That was among my biggest complaints as the stickiness from my sweat and blood made my clothes feel uncomfortable. You would have thought that if they decided to stock up on supplies for the ship, they would have thought about change of clothes. But, no. There was none. Not even a white shirt.<p>

My next biggest complaint was Khadagh. Before when I was stuck in that game and couldn't remember much of who I was, I would have defended him and would not have thought twice about arguing with him. But as my memories returned and the memory of the horrible things he had made me do along with them, defending Khadagh and even being in the same room with him was the last thing on my mind. Perhaps it would be different if Daniel wasn't missing; if he was here with me—with us—but that wasn't the case either.

As soon as he took the wheel and began heading off to our destination—which he wouldn't give us an exact location to—Khadagh had instructed Joe to act as his navigator, making sure that we were alerted when—not if—our enemies appear and that we wouldn't be caught off-guard. He had also instructed Willy to see if the weapons are in working condition and allowing him to tinker with them, to make modifications, to increase our chances of survival in a space skirmish.

As for me and Emma, well, he just told us to sit tight and get as much rest as we could.

As if we could sleep after all that. As if there was nothing we could do to help.

I, being as pissed off as I was already, made sure that I told him what exactly was on my mind, calling him a "sexist, masochistic pig" to which Joe couldn't help but laugh, Emma look at me like I had lost my mind, and Willy to look amused. Khadagh, for his part, was surprised. I was pretty sure he didn't expect me to call him that and neither did the others.

I didn't bother talking with Khadagh after that as Emma and I sat away from the "men" on the ship. I kept my eyes outside, watching the vast space beyond the ship's porthole. I was tired but I couldn't fall asleep. Emma, for the most part, kept to herself as well. She was just as tired as I was, but she managed to do the one thing that eluded me, which was rest.

Minutes turned to hours, and these hours passed, blurring into days. Wherever we were going, it was pretty far. So far away, in fact, that you could barely see the small speck that the Milky Way galaxy had turned into. As those days passed, even Willy and Joe were starting to get bored with the roles Khadagh had given to them. There were times when they didn't even bother to do their job and instead went to separate nooks to train. For Joe that consisted of working along with his Symbiote; for Willy it was playing a VR game that allowed him to work on his aim, his footwork, and his reflexes.

Emma and I had been training on our own, too. But it could only do so much. I could honestly say that it wasn't as good as when I trained with Maerwen. Sure she can be such a...witch sometimes but the things she taught me were helpful. And there _are _still quite a lot of things for me to learn from her.

Several days later, Khadagh stood and stretched. It was the first time he had moved from the controls of the ship. Like every one of us, he still looked like he had gone through a war but there were no longer cuts and bruises on his face, the swelling had also disappeared. There was, however, a stubble on his chin.

I stared at him. I frequently forget that this Daniel is older.

"What?" He asked when he caught me staring. "See something you like?"

I gave a snort, "No. I just see something that states you have poor hygiene."

He stared at me like I had blurted out something stupid, and I pointed a finger out of my chin before I went on to say, "Stubble."

Khadagh frowned before he rubbed his hand on his chin. Seconds later, a razor was in one of his hands and a shaving cream on another and he was walking towards the restroom.

It was strange to see him like that. Well, it was strange to see him, period. For so long I have blindly followed Khadagh. Granted, I was being manipulated to some extent. We had feared him; we had wanted to defeat him, and even kill him. But, it wasn't the case anymore. Everyone was looking at him for guidance, leadership. I admit, even I was looking at him for some hope that Daniel will be saved and that he will be able to keep hold of his end of the bargain. Even as he joked around with Willy and Joe, as he left the bathroom having finished shaving, it was like they have all forgotten what had happened in The Game.

_No. Maybe not forget. Maybe they have chosen to look past that...for the moment._

* * *

><p>Khadagh maneuvered the ship along the dangerous bowels of an asteroid belt, making sure that our ship won't get nicked and suffer the consequences of either an oxygen or energy leak—two of the likely scenarios, along with being hit square on and exploding in a magnificent shower of debris with none of us alive, that could occur in such a space.<p>

We were all on edge, not only because Khadagh told us that we were nearing our destination but also because it felt like one wrong move, one sudden breath, would suddenly cause the ship to careen to the large chunks of floating rocks. The whole ship was silent, save for the rumbling of the engine and the sound of the air conditioner. Khadagh was focused on the space road in front of him, though he does look from time to time around us.

"It should be around here," he muttered.

"Should be?" Emma asked, "You don't sound too sure about it."

"Well, it has been a while," Khadagh replied. "This place has changed a lot. When I came here, there wasn't this much debris. This used to be a clear space but then Undinogh and I fought and then Altrea and Graff joined in and before you know it, BOOM! It ended up this way."

Willy whistled, "Seriously?"

Khadagh nodded before veering the ship to the left to avoid a giant hunk of rock. "Not something to be proud of. I was lucky that this didn't cause any damage with the time stream. Otherwise, this change in this particular location could have caused—"

And then Khadagh trailed of.

I don't know what the exact words he would have used to tell us the consequences of what could have happened if this caused a disturbance in the flow of time but, I have a feeling of what that could have been though. Well, I suppose all of us did, because what greeted us is exactly what Khadagh thought would _not_ be greeting us...

Because right where Khadagh believed was the portal Uncle Graff and Altrea had used to drag him to our time; the very same portal he had firmly believed had been closed off; was a much bigger portal, guarded by a large army of aliens.

"This...is impossible," Khadagh said, climbing up to his feet. "That thing should have been closed off...and no one knows about its location apart from me, Undinogh, Graff and Altrea. And all three of them are already dead."

The time gate—the portal—sat in the middle of the grotesque and dangerously-looking aliens and a domed, white building. The portal was, by no means, sealed. It was wide open, like that part of space was suddenly torn open, leaving a gaping wound behind. It swirled like a thunder cloud, electricity surged through it from time to time. The aliens—there were all sorts of them, from ones we had seen to ones we haven't had the pleasure of fighting with—didn't appear to take notice of us—which we were all thankful for. All of them were busy moving from one place to another, carrying all sorts of equipment, training, and doing all sorts of things that you would usually see on a training camp, or a barracks.

Dozens of containers and ships flew towards the domed building. When the cargo doors of the building opened, we saw stacks of boxes of what looked like weapons, along with high-end war vehicles that looked as though they were all so technologically advanced even for us Alparians.

"Is it me or do those guys look like they're preparing for war?" Joe asked.

Khadagh shook his head, "Yeah, it seems that way. I only wanted to come here to confirm my suspicions and now that they are confirmed and the gate really is open, the only logical solution would be to close it down and then hunt down those alternate universe selves of yours to find Daniel. But, with that many aliens running around, it would be suicide to go ahead with that plan for now."

"So now what?" I asked. "We can't just leave things as they are. We can't leave without knowing what these guys are planning and who's leading them."

"Dana's right," Willy agreed.

"And how do you two propose we do that?" Khadagh asked, he sounded tired.

"By heading to that building," Willy answered before I could. "Reconnaissance."

"Which is dangerous," Emma pointed out. "It's not like we're up against only a dozen. There are hundreds of dangerous aliens crawling in and outside of the building. We're not prepared for this."

"Emma's right," Joe sided with her. "It's better if we turn back now, prepare, and then go and sneak in. Less chance of making mistakes that way. Plus, I can get something set up so that we don't trigger any alarms."

"Provided that those security measures came from this era," Khadagh added, "If they managed to drag the others from the future back here, we can safely assume that they brought weapons and technology from my time to yours. They're making an even bigger mess of things."

"So what?" I asked. "We just turn around? What if Daniel's inside that place right now and then we leave and miss him completely the next time?"

"Then we'll find him and get lucky next time," Khadagh retorted.

I was about to argue back with him when the large monitor at the side of the building, facing the group of aliens who were training, suddenly flickered to life. And in that screen, The Prayer's face loomed into view, next to him was Number Two—a less gruff looking Undinogh than the one we had met before in The Game—and...

"I am starting to doubt you, Khadagh," Emma muttered.

"Is it me or am I seeing double?" Joe asked as he rubbed his eyes with the heel of his palm.

I shook my head, _This can't be happening_. "It's not you, Joe...there really are two Undinogh...and one of them looks like he plastered himself back together again." Then I turned to face Khadagh and hissed, "You said you've dealt with the Undinogh from your time already!"

"I...I did! I made sure that there wasn't even a molecule of him left!" Khadagh gritted his teeth and pounded his hand on the dashboard, his fist balled. "He _should_ be dead!"

"Well, he isn't." Joe said. "He's just turned himself into a cyborg."

"Hurry up you maggots!" The Prayer shouted, spittle flying at the lens, making the screen have little wet marks on it. "We're on a tight schedule and we're expecting a certain VIP—an _Alien Hunter_—coming here soon so make sure the security is tight. Got it?"

There was a chorus of "Yes", "Yes, Boss", and affirmative roars.

But all we could think of was one person. One possible person as to who it might be.

"Daniel!" We all said in unison.


	9. Before the Rescue

**A Daniel X Fanfic**

**by Sakura Martinez**

* * *

><p><strong>Disclaimer:<strong>

I do not own Daniel X, or the characters in that story. James Patterson own the rights for them. What I do own is the idea for the fanfic and this fanfic itself.

* * *

><p><strong>Summary:<strong>

After surviving Void's Game, being reunited with his _drang_, and learning the truth about Void, Daniel X leaves with Khadagh to prepare for the imminent battle between Number One and Two. But when both Daniel and Khadagh disappears, The Prayer begins his revenge, seeking the aid of a mysterious group. Now, it's a race against time our heroes to put a stop to The Prayer's latest scheme before it's too late and it will take everything in their power to do so.

* * *

><p><strong>Daniel X: Out of Time<strong>

**Chapter Eight**

**Before The Rescue**

* * *

><p>We didn't exactly know for sure if Daniel was the one The Prayer was talking about. We didn't have any leads or clues that can tell us if our hunch was right or if we were just going on a crazy mission, but as soon as we learned when the transport would arrive—something that The Prayer announced to the whole alien congregation—we left the place and returned as fast as we could back to Earth. Once there we began to get ready after we told Aunt Graciella and Uncle Windsor what had happened to us at the Red Planet and explained to them what we had found out. They were not happy, nor were they thrilled when they learned what we were planning to do and who we may end up fighting because of it.<p>

Two weeks. That was how long we had to prepare and get back to the center of the asteroid belt where the dome and the time portal—the time rift—was. It wasn't enough time but we all decided to make the most of it. The first week, all four of us—me, Willy, Emma, and Joe—all returned to our mentors to train while Khadagh renovated the ship and made sure to have everything ready—which included provisions and emergency rations. Uncle Windsor and Aunt Graciella, during that time spread word of an imminent inter-stellar war and about the army that The Prayer and Undinogh were amassing. The second week was reserved for the space travel, even though Khadagh said it would only take two days to get there once he had the ship improved. Still, we all agree that it was better to leave early and arrive early than get there late and completely miss our chance to save Daniel.

"Why are you letting your mind wander?" Maerwen shouted at me. followed by, "Again! Do it again!"

I wiped the sweat on my brow as, not only did Maerwen wanted me to try again but she also added another hundred pounds on one of the already-spilling crate that I needed to elevate and arrange at the other side of the room.

Maerwen is a mind-bender type of alien. Someone who has strong grips with her psychic powers—something that Khadagh had told me I had to master as it would prove useful should the need arise for me to fight by myself, telling me that increasing and decreasing a friend or foe's powers could only do so much. Not only that but he told me that it would probably be not at all that useful, unless I found a way to touch the person I was going to boost or seal the powers of—which is true.

She is a pretty old alien with elfish features, which included a long, pointed nose, slanted eyes the color of mist, pointed ears and a long silver hair. Her skin is luminescent and glows at night, especially when there's a full moon. She doesn't look as old as she actually is. She actually looked like she's in her mid-thirties when her age is actually somewhere around five-hundred-and-thirty or so. Maerwen is also one heck of an instructor. She's strict. I actually believe that she's the only one who can scare Daniel into following her instructions. Even I have a hard time doing that to him.

"Sorry," I apologized as I went back to work. It was best to be in one's good behavior when speaking with Maerwen.

I didn't have to look over at her to know that she was watching me like an _Accipitridae_—a Hawk. I know I should be used to it already but there was something about the way Maerwen looks at a person—a way she looks at me—that unnerves me. Like she can see through me; that she knows what's on my mind...which wouldn't surprise me being what she is. Still, it was disconcerting.

"Your mind is still wandering, child!" she sounded more tired than annoyed. "Do not let your mind wander, it lessens your power. I know you are worried about your mate, but worrying will not do anything but hamper your progress."

My concentration faltered at the word he used to describe Daniel. Even though she had used that word as a moniker for him, I still couldn't get used to it and have given up on telling Maerwen not to call him that.

She raised an eyebrow at me for my lapse of concentration before quickly continuing on with his monologue, "You must put aside your feelings when casting. It is more powerful that way. Which would undoubtedly be helpful when you rescue him."

And on and on she went, giving me a hundred and one reason why I would end up being an extra baggage if I don't get my act together, all the while adding more weight to the container. I couldn't say anything to her to make her stop, even when her speech took a different direction and she started talking about how my concentration would affect my power and that in-turn would affect how strong my children would be should the time come that Daniel and I would settle down...

It was a nightmare. I was glad that none of my friends were there to hear her or they would never have let me live that down.

* * *

><p>"You look like you could use a rest," was Emma's greeting when they finally came for me a week later.<p>

"Don't even start," I warned as I climbed after her while Khadagh talked with Maerwen. "I'm glad were going to be able to arrive there early."

"Hey Dana, check out the ship!" Joe shouted and he looked like a little kid in a toy store during Christmas. "Khadagh did a very impressive job!"

_There really wasn't any doubt in my mind that he would._ Though I didn't tell Joe that. Khadagh, after all, can make anything out of his mind and his imagination and so he can easily renovate the ship to his liking.

The renovated ship was bigger and when we got inside, we passed larger halls and intersecting corridors with doors leading to other parts of the ship. First, Emma and Joe led me to my room where we dumped all of my stuff—which wasn't much, before they led me to the cockpit where Willy was already waiting, in the middle of half-circle's worth of console banks which I could only guess were for the weapons.

Next to him was another empty seat which is facing the same number of consoles, and another one, and another just beside that. A small set of stairs led to an elevated platform where another seat—this one with the steering wheel in front of it, much like a car's—stood. Khadagh's seat.

We could see everything beyond the walls of the ship, too. Khadagh had replaced the steel walls with see-through walls. That was the only way to describe it. It was like looking through a large window without sills. It was a wonder how no one could see us outside. Over all, from what I had seen, the new ship was as dingy as the old one. It looked brand new and way more battle-ready than the sorry excuse of a space vehicle we had used before. Plus, it was well-equipped not only in terms of weapons and—from what I could see—defensive shields, but in everything we could possibly need.

Khadagh did do an impressive job.

"Not bad," I nodded.

"I know, right? It's roomier," Joe said as he propped himself on the seat nearest to Khadagh's. When I gave him a questioning look, he pointed to himself and said, "Navigator."

I looked at Emma, "Don't tell me he wants us to let the boys handle this again,"

Emma shrugged, "Well, they are better with that than we are."

Willy and Joe both turned to face Emma and grinned.

"Thanks, Em!" Willy gave a thumbs up.

I shook my head before I settled down on an unoccupied station.

* * *

><p>Travelling to the portal wasn't as painful as it was before. I suppose Khadagh had thought of that, which is why there was an entertainment room, a relaxation room, and a training room in the ship that the boys had dubbed "The Bonaventure". Neither Emma nor I argued with the name. Naming the ship with a name that meant 'Good luck' was better than naming it after something stupid and childish.<p>

While Joe tinkered with computers, Willy spied on him and Emma—for, once again, who-knows-what reason. I kept wondering what those two might have done this time around to heighten Willy's over protective, brotherly instincts. I made a mental note to ask Emma or Joe about that.

I, myself, continued to train, to meditate, and to try to form some sort of psychic link with Daniel. But I couldn't and I tried not to let that bother me. But it did. Even Maerwen was concerned when I told her about it via a communicator.

"That is strange indeed," she had said, "You should be able to contact him now that your psychic senses and your concentration is stronger."

"Maybe it's the distance...or an outside interference?" I asked. "Is it possible for the space debris, the gravitational pull of the other planets, or the asteroid belt's field to cause a psychic block?"

"Before, it would have but, like I have told you, it should not cause problems for you now," was her reply. There was a pause, "There may be one explanation. Perhaps he is unconscious?"

"Y-yeah, that might be it," Although I knew that that wasn't even plausible. Even with Dream Walking—the skill that Maerwen still didn't knew I could do—I still couldn't reach Daniel.

"Do not worry, Dana," Maerwen's voice sounded motherly. "Everything will work out. Just keep a level head. I know that when it comes to that young man you're easily—what's the word?—rattled."

And that was it. Apart from telling me to keep calm, Maerwen could give no other helpful insights. And that didn't make me worry less.

I was, however, snapped from my reverie when someone knocked on my door.

I frowned. I wasn't expecting anyone to visit me in my room, especially when I told them that I would be meditating. Even before I could tell them to come in, however, the door slid open and in comes Khadagh.

"What's the point of knocking if you're not going to wait to be let in?" I asked, crossing my arms and glaring at him.

Khadagh merely shrugged and, choosing not to answer my complaint, asked, "Any luck?"

I stared blankly at him.

"Don't look at me like that," He huffed, "You're trying to communicate with him, right?" he then tapped the side of his head, "Using this? So? How's it going?"

"No good." I sighed, letting him know. "I can't reach him, not even with Dream Walking."

Khadagh sat at the loveseat on the other side of my room. I have never seen him with that look on his face, not even when he was acting as Void—and I had been with him a lot back then. For a moment, bits of mannerism from the old Daniel—present-time Daniel—emerged from him. When it did, it wasn't hard to see him for who he really is—someone who Daniel X could be in the future. It really was strange to be able to see what Daniel would look like in a couple of years.

_Provided that we save him in time. _

_Provided that there is a future for him._

I shook the thought away.

"Maybe they're using your technology," I told him.

He looked surprised, like he had forgotten where he was. "W-what?"

I fought the urge to berate him. "I said, maybe they're using your technology. That machine you used to suppress our powers. The one you based off of my power."

Khadagh shook his head. "No one knows how to make something like that except for me. I made sure there were no schematics lying around and to keep that thing hidden. When the ship exploded, the machine was destroyed along with it and The Game. I even went back to make sure that there are no signs of the technology I had used there."

"And you said the same thing about Undinogh, but we all saw that he wasn't as dead as you have thought or as any of us would have liked."

"Ah, I have no explanation for that." Khadagh looked ashamed, which was a first. "I really was certain that there was nothing left of him. The Game would have made sure of that, along with the other outlaws being held there. But, there is no chance that they would have made something even remotely similar to my machine. To do so, they would have taken you instead of Daniel, and they would have also needed my brains for the schematics of the machine."

"So what other explanation is there?" I asked. And then it clicked. "Wait, you said they need me..."

"Yes," Khadagh replied. "Or a hint of your power."

"They already have that," I reminded him. "Our alternate selves. They would still have the same powers that we have developed. If they are working for The Prayer and the two Undinoghs, that would explain it, wouldn't it? They wouldn't even need the machine, they could just use me."

Realization dawned on Khadagh. I suppose I wasn't the only one who forgot that it wasn't just an alternate Willy that had come through the portal.

"Of course!" but instead of looking happy that we now have the answer to our question, Khadagh looked even more worried. "This is bad, Dana, for all of us."

I nodded. I knew what he meant. It would be how it was in The Game, not being able to use our full abilities.

"Unless she's focused on keeping Daniel's powers at bay," I added. "I can only suppress one person's power at a time. Of course, there's a chance that the other me had found a way to do otherwise..."

"Let's pray that that's not the case..." Khadagh sighed, slumping further in the loveseat.

"And if it is?"

"Then we can only hope for the best," was his reply.

* * *

><p>The day finally arrived.<p>

Every alien in the vicinity were working overtime, running around as the whole compound was placed under high alert. The Prayer's face was once again broadcasted on the screen at the side of the building, barking orders and threats—and making good with them.

We left The Bonaventure hidden behind a cluster of asteroids, taking a smaller, camouflaged ship to get to the building. Once close enough, Khadagh clapped the ship out of existence and we "flew" our way to the side of the building, away from view.

My heart beat was fast and erratic, and I suppose the others felt the same way. Even though it wasn't our first battle, it was one of our more important ones. Willy looked like he was itching to act. The same could be said about Khadagh. Emma and Joe looked worried and unsure. I felt all of that.

Soon the cargo ship arrived. It was like a huge battleship being escorted by a dozen of smaller ships.

I watched and waited for some semblance of familiarity, a spark that would tell me that Daniel really was being kept inside. I still couldn't feel anything from him.

Before I could try again, Khadagh had laid a hand on my shoulder and mouthed "Let's Go" as he and the others quickly moved to get inside the building while the other aliens were busy shouting and celebrating.

It was time.


	10. Rescue

**A Daniel X Fanfic**

**by Sakura Martinez**

* * *

><p><strong>Disclaimer:<strong>

I do not own Daniel X, or the characters in that story. James Patterson own the rights for them. What I do own is the idea for the fanfic and this fanfic itself.

* * *

><p><strong>Summary:<strong>

After surviving Void's Game, being reunited with his _drang_, and learning the truth about Void, Daniel X leaves with Khadagh to prepare for the imminent battle between Number One and Two. But when both Daniel and Khadagh disappears, The Prayer begins his revenge, seeking the aid of a mysterious group to put a completely annihilate all Alien Hunters in the galaxy. Now, it's a race against time for Dana, Emma, Willy, and Joe to find Daniel and Khadagh before it's too late.

* * *

><p><strong>Daniel X: Out of Time<strong>

**Chapter Nine**

**Rescue**

* * *

><p>It was through the combination of both of our powers—Khadagh and mine—that we were able to fool all the other aliens in the fortress. They didn't—no, couldn't—see us for who we really were. All they saw was a small group of gruff-looking mercenary aliens. But, even so, we didn't let our guard down. We had an idea of who we were up against. One wrong move, one wrong word, one mistake and it could cost us not only our safety and our lives but also the rescue mission.<p>

We didn't get lost inside the metallic, labyrinthine fortress, however. It was, after all, hard to get lost when you're with both Joe and Emma. With both of their abilities combined, we were able to learn where they would be keeping Daniel. We also learned of their schedule and knew that we only have less than an hour after the ship has docked to free Daniel and get out of the fortress. It seemed easy enough but we were certain that it was anything but.

It was always like that with us, after all.

* * *

><p>The hum of the numerous machineries and power generators echoed through the metallic walls of the fortress. That, mixed with the shouting voices of the other aliens, all still in joyful jubilation that their nemesis had finally been captured, drowned us out and made it hard for us, even with our enhanced hearing, to hear each other. Of course, that also meant that it made it hard for <em>our<em> enemies to hear us.

There were as many, maybe even more, aliens inside the fortress and it also posed a problem for us while we were making our way to the cell where they would be placing Daniel in. Khadagh had told us that it would be best to get there first and position ourselves for the jailbreak rather than wait until they have locked Daniel up there before making our move. Khadagh also planned it so that not all of us would be near the cell. He had asked Willy and Emma to head to the generator cores and try to destroy them, if they could.

"Destroy this place?" Emma had asked. "But we don't even know anything about this place yet."

"We don't need to learn anything about this place, this has something to do with The Prayer and Undinogh to boot, it doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that they're planning to use this place for something bad." Khadagh explained his reasoning. "Not only that but, I hate to admit it, I don't have the power on my own to close the rift here. Even if Dana helps me out, it wouldn't be enough still. The only way I could think of is to find a catalyst that would help me close it. An explosion using the generator cores of this place would be enough to do just that...I think."

"You think? You're not even sure?" I had asked, incredulous that Khadagh would admit, not only to having not enough power to do something, but also that he isn't certain about something.

"No, not really." Khadagh frowned and sure enough he didn't like not knowing.

Now, the three of us: Khadagh, Joe (whom Khadagh thought would be valuable in hacking through the security locks), and I lay in wait for Daniel and his captors. Before they left, Joe had given Emma and Willy an extension of his Symbiote computer which they could use to hack the possible locked doors to the generators though Joe had admitted that it could backfire (which was also the reason why Khadagh ordered Joe to stick around with us rather than go with Emma and Willy).

"Willy can take care of any problems that might require both of them to make a break for it. Don't worry about the two of them, they'll be a lot safer than us." Khadagh assured Joe who had protested. Though his assurance was moot for me. No matter which group we were in, it wouldn't matter if we were captured. The Willy from the alternate timeline had showed us that much when he tried to blast us to smithereens.

And so, we waited...and waited all the while planning escape routes and back-up plans that threatened to consume all the letters of the English alphabet.

Before long an entourage of armed guards—all dangerous-looking aliens wielding Opus 50/50s and wearing thick-alloyed armors—marched towards the cell. Leading them were both Undinogh and The Prayer. Surrounded by the dozen of armed guards was Daniel. He looked so beat-up, although his wounds were already healing. He looked just as disheveled as Khadagh was when we found him. Dried blood covered half of his face. His hair was sticking out on all directions, and looked as though it was singed at some parts even. His shirt and his jeans were torn and he was only wearing his right sneaker leaving his left foot bare.

But, even as badly as he looked, his eyes didn't hold any grief or any form of surrender. They were as bright and as fiery as ever and I could only imagine what awaits Undinogh, the Prayer, and the rest of those armed guards should Daniel have the power to fight back.

A mixture of pride and of worry and ache entered my heart for Daniel. I also felt burning anger for those that harmed him...even if those people were our 'other' selves.

Remembering them, I scanned the rest of the crowd and, sure enough, there were two guards wearing a set of armor that are more technological advanced than their peers.

"I am willing to bet that one of them is the other you," Joe whispered to me as we slunk back to our hiding place. None of our rescue plans included going up against The Prayer and Undinogh along with our "other" selves.

It wasn't up for debate. I knew that the other me—the one from that alternate timeline—was there. Otherwise, Daniel wouldn't allow himself to be carted off like that.

The aliens that were present jeered at Daniel, pushed and shoved him into the cell that would hold him until he was sent off to somewhere else. The files Joe uncovered weren't specific on the location of where that would be, though.

Daniel didn't say anything as he was shoved and as the door closed behind him. I saw him simply glaring at his captors.

As soon as he was securely locked in the cell, the aliens cheered while Undinogh, The Prayer, and the two time travelers looked on. They said something to each other—something that, thanks to the noise the stupid guards were making, we weren't able to hear them—before they walked off. But, just before one of the time travelers, he (or she) looked into the direction where we were hiding. I had to suck in a breath and keep myself from breathing. My heartbeat pounding in my chest.

_We can't get caught..._

But the time traveler didn't make a move towards us. After a couple of seconds staring at our direction, said masked guard walked after the others. We all let out a collective breath of relief after that.

"That...was close," sighed Joe as he wiped beads of sweat from his forehead.

"Yeah..." agreed Khadagh before he turned to the direction of where two guards remained, guarding the door to Daniel's cell. "Now, we have to move quickly and stealthily against those two. We can't allow them to sound an alarm before Willy and Emma destroy the generator cores."

Joe and I both nodded before the three of us slipped away from our hiding place and strode towards the two guards like we belonged, our disguises still in place. Our strides were purposeful and for a moment it dispelled the look of confusion that would have otherwise crossed the guards' faces as soon as they saw us. Unfortunately, they seem to have been trained well because it only took a moment before they looked at us with suspicion.

"Stop, what are you guys doing down here?" One of the guards asked us, his hand outstretched in a gesture that told us to stop and it almost brushed my chest in the process. _That _would have been bad for him because I wouldn't have let that pass.

"We came to see the prisoner, obviously," was Khadagh's cocky answer.

"And who authorized you to do so? Undinogh told us nothing about allowing people to see the prisoner," the other guard spoke.

"That's strange," Khadagh replied, then with a quick flourish of his hand that I was pretty sure the guards didn't see for they didn't comment about it, he produced a hologram computer that held The Prayer's seal as well as an order that allowed us to view the prisoner. "Don't tell me you guys didn't receive this memo."

The guard who spoke first took the hologram computer and read the 'memo' before handing it over to his partner who did the same. As soon as both of them have read the contents of the fake letter, they looked at each other, the puzzled expression crossing their faces again.

"We...haven't heard about this." The first guard spoke, "There must be a mistake."

"You could double check it if you want," Khadagh said and it took a lot of my will power not to look at him like he had just lost his mind. "Of course, I wouldn't want you guys to end up being mutilated by The Prayer, you are familiar with his temper, right?" then he gave a show by shuddering and looking utterly horrified.

The two guards looked at each other and you can tell that they knew what Khadagh was talking about. You can also tell how utterly frightened they were the moment they unlocked the door and let us pass without another question. I spared a look of awe at how Khadagh was good at winging it. He grinned. But, the triumphant look on his face vanished as soon as we passed through the short corridor leading to the actual cell.

We quickly dodged out of the way as Daniel didn't hesitate, nor did he look twice, before attacking us. The clamor that ensued caused Khadagh and my powers to falter and our disguises to vanish. Daniel looked at us confused, shocked, bothered and bewildered.

"Dana...? Joe...?" He asked as he backed away, looking at me like he had seen a ghost. He then turned towards Khadagh, "...and...Khadagh?"

"You look like hell," was Khadagh's way of greeting and answering Daniel. "But it's good to see you're still alive."

"And what the heck was that for?" Joe asked, it was a wonder how he didn't shout.

Daniel shook his head, and I can see that he was having a hard time processing the fact that we were there. I didn't waste any more time after that, I ran towards him and hugged him. He cringed and almost took another step back, tensing at the contact.

"I was so worried about you, Daniel." I said, choosing to ignore—for the moment—Daniel's strange reaction. "I had thought the worse has happened."

"Is it...really you?" He asked, his arms remained on his side, not hugging me back.

I moved back and looked him in the eye, "Of course it's really me. Who else can it be?"

Daniel looked at me like he wanted to believe me but cannot. It was exasperating. And so I turned to the other person in the room who can, maybe, help with the situation knowing that we were all losing valuable time. Willy and Emma could blow the whole place up any second. "Khadagh, tell him!"

"Me?" Khadagh asked, "Why? You two," he said pointing at both Joe and I, "would do a much better job at that than me."

"He looks like he's wary of both Dana and me," Joe supplied, "And we don't have time."

Khadagh made a show of sighing and looking irritated, but he did what we asked. Although, he didn't say all that much to Daniel.

"I don't know what the heck you were put through, Daniel and though all of us would like to know what happened to you after you were caught, now really isn't the best time for telling that story. But, I can assure you that these two are the real deal and, unless you'd want your girlfriend here," he pointed a thumb at me, "to be hurt, worry, and cry or something, you would listen to what we have to say and allow us to help and rescue you. Besides, I highly doubt that whatever they led you to believe about your friends, they would know anything about me, so...there. I'm your wildcard in all of this."

Daniel thought for a while before he agreed but his words, despite agreeing with what Khadagh had said, did nothing but make us worry even more.

"Yeah, you're right. If this wasn't real, you wouldn't be helping Dana and Joe..." Daniel had said, and he relaxed a little. "But, you're wrong about one thing, Khadagh. They know who you are...not everything about you but they do know you and Undinogh's looking for vengeance. Both of them are."

"Both of them? You mean The Prayer and Undinogh?" Khadagh asked.

"No. I meant both Undinoghs. That Undinogh from your time and the Undinogh from here." He shook his head, "He told them everything about the time traveling. That's what I'm doing here...that's what they want me to do. Of course, since I couldn't make the rift bigger, those three are now looking for you."

"Guys, we really should work on our escape route right about now," Joe reminded us, but both Khadagh and myself were curious of what Daniel was saying. We knew Undinogh was working with the present-time Undinogh and The Prayer, but we didn't know what he wanted from them.

"Hold on, what did you say?" Khadagh asked, "Make the time rift bigger?"

Daniel nodded but even before he could explain some more, an explosion rocketed the whole fortress and we knew we didn't have time to dawdle. We _have _to move.

"What was that?" Daniel asked, standing at the ready.

"Willy and Emma," I replied, "Come on, let's go!"

I took him by the arm and nodded at Khadagh who materialized four sets of space suits for us to wear before destroying the southern side of the cell's wall, creating our escape route, and then materializing a high-speed, ship—our getaway car. We have already boarded when the two guards finally got inside the cell.

"What about Emma and Willy?" Daniel, who was seated right beside me, asked.

"We're going to pick them up," came Khadagh's answer.

Daniel merely nodded and looked pleased as he watched the chaos that was erupting down below as generator after generator exploded and parts of the fortress caved in.

"Dana, you may want to kick-start Daniel's powers again," Joe said as we were about to head to the extraction point. "We have a dozen of space cruisers heading in on our direction."

I nodded, of course, I should have done that as soon as Daniel go this bearings back but, I guess it slipped my mind.

I then took both of his hands, concentrated, and allowed my powers to flow. For the first time, however, I was having a hard time unsealing Daniel's powers as I caught a glimpse of how strong that other me was. It was like trying to break through a titanium wall with only a toothpick. It was near impossible.

"I can't do it," I said, sagging in defeat.

"What do you mean you can't?" Joe sounded worried, and judging by the look on Khadagh's face, he was too.

"Whatever she did, I can't undo it. Even if she is a me from another time."

Daniel looked surprised, "You know about them already?"

I nodded as Joe answered him verbally with a "Yes".

"We ran into the other Willy when we rescued Khadagh." Joe explained. "It was a good thing we got out of that place alive."

"Were you hurt?" That question was directed at me.

I smiled at Daniel and replied, "Nothing I couldn't handle. I'm not fragile, you know."

"Of course, you're not." Daniel smiled at that. He should know, after all, I did try to kill him—and almost succeeded—before. "But, you're right about that other Dana. She's strong. And the other Joe and Emma, too. I couldn't do a thing against them, even before I learned who they were."

"If they could overpower me, I don't think I have any reason to doubt your assessment of them," Khadagh said.

* * *

><p>We managed to get to Emma and Willy just in the nick of time before The Prayer and the two <em>Undinogh<em>s—along with our alternate-universe-selves—along with a couple of dozen angry alien mob swarmed at them. Of course, the ship we were in didn't leave without any scratches. It was almost totaled by the time we got to the Bonadventure. Once we got inside, all of us—with the exception of Khadagh—went to our battle stations, with Daniel going with me.

Five minutes later, we have laid to waste our pursuers. A couple of seconds after that, we were on our way away from the fortress and the group of powerful aliens that would want us captured, or worse, dead.


	11. A Way Out

**A Daniel X Fanfic**

**by Sakura Martinez**

* * *

><p><strong>Disclaimer:<strong>

I do not own Daniel X, or the characters in that story. James Patterson own the rights for them. What I do own is the idea for the fanfic and this fanfic itself.

* * *

><p><strong>Summary:<strong>

After surviving Void's Game, being reunited with his _drang_, and learning the truth about Void, Daniel X leaves with Khadagh to prepare for the imminent battle between Number One and Two. But when both Daniel and Khadagh disappears, The Prayer begins his revenge, seeking the aid of a mysterious group. Now, it's a race against time our heroes to put a stop to The Prayer's latest scheme before it's too late and it will take everything in their power to do so.

* * *

><p><strong>Daniel X: Out of Time<strong>

**Chapter Ten**

**A Way Out**

* * *

><p>When given the chance, we didn't head back to Terra Firma, back to Willy and Emma's parents. We knew how dangerous that would be. Although, we also knew that it was also dangerous to stay out in space. We knew that The Prayer—and, quite possibly, Undinogh—had a wide range of control over the universe. He was <em>that<em> powerful. His connections were scattered all over. You would never know whether an alien you would meet in outer space was a friend or a foe until that moment when you are betrayed or aided.

We needed a place to lie low for a while. A place where The Prayer's influence hardly, if ever, reached. We didn't know which places these are, or if there really was a place apart from Alpar Nok, and so we let Khadagh decide. Out of the six of us, he was the one who would probably have any idea about that and none of us wanted to endanger Alpar Nok by hiding there.

As we traversed the vast expanse of space, Emma and I helped patch Daniel up after making him take a bath and change his clothing. With his powers currently blocked, his regenerative abilities were slightly hindered making the healing process take quite a longer time than it used to.

"This," Daniel said after Emma and I had finished patching him up and he was resting in his own room in the Bonadventure. "seriously blows. I thought that this wasn't going to happen to me again."

"Well, it does seem like you're a magnet for bad luck, Daniel," Emma chuckled.

"You can say that again," I sighed. "Really, Daniel, I can't understand why they would take you instead of Khadagh when, as you said, they already know he's a time traveler."

Daniel shrugged, "Beats me. All I know, apart from what I've already told you guys, is that your alternate-universe-selves have a serious issue against Khadagh and me, for that matter. They're even worse than how you were Dana."

I fought against the powerful urge to hit him at the back of the head with that comment and I could see in the twinkle of Emma's eyes that she knew just that and she was amused.

"Worse than how Dana was?" Emma asked, acting as though she was innocent of the past.

I gave her a steely glare. She knew how much I didn't want to talk about the past, nor want to hear any mention of it. But Emma continued acting like she didn't know.

Daniel, however, should have known better. But, instead of shutting up about it or choosing some other topic to talk about, he pursued it.

"Well, yeah. Dana hesitated but those guys...they were waiting for me to make a wrong move—to piss The Prayer enough that he would let them beat me up. Of course, they usually don't have to wait that long, especially when either of the two Undinoghs are around." He shook his head, "You guys sure can hold on to a grudge."

"We are _not_ them," I huffed, crossing my arms.

Daniel stared at me. His expression telling me that I should know better. And I do. I do know better. And I also know that he is right. If we had not been able to escape from Ergent Seth's captivity, if Khadagh hadn't found us, and if we had learned that Daniel was still alive and had been made to believe that he has forgotten about us and the bonds that all of us shared? Well, some of those things had actually happened to me, and even under Khadagh's influence—Khadagh who didn't turn out to be the enemy we all thought he was—I had been so angry at Daniel that I did want to kill him.

That was proof enough that, should we had been brainwashed completely, we would have turned against him.

_Just like how the alternate versions of ourselves._

I don't know if Daniel saw the change in my expression, but he seems to know when I understood what he was saying because he smiled at me soon after that.

"I guess we could ask Khadagh why they would target Daniel," Emma spoke, reminding both Daniel and I that we were not alone. "You do have a point, Dana. Why take Daniel when they could have just taken Khadagh?"

* * *

><p>We didn't get to talk to Khadagh, however. Daniel wanted to come along but Emma and I knew he needed rest. He needed to recuperate and he won't get that if we had went straight to Khadagh for our much-needed answers.<p>

Forcing Daniel to rest, however, is not a walk in the park. It was pretty hard as he wants to do something. He didn't like being bedridden and it was only when I threatened never to talk to him again did he complied to my wishes, albeit he did so begrudgingly. I suppose it also helped that Emma had also threatened to tie him down should he even think of tiring himself out.

"Why do you guys even bother having me rest?" He had asked one evening, two days after our escape as Khadagh continued on with the current course to a destination yet to be revealed. "It's not like I would be able to help out much again until we get as much distance between us and that other you."

"Because even without your powers you can still fight. Besides, you won't be able to help anyone if you push yourself too hard and collapse." I argued before I tried once more, concentrating on trying to unlock Daniel's sealed powers. I was getting there but it still wasn't enough. They were still pursuing us.

The frown on my face was enough to tip him off. "Still no good, huh..."

I shook my head, "We're gaining distance and the seal is weakening but it's still not enough for me to break it. I'll try harder next time, just let me rest for a bit."

Daniel took my hand and said, "Now, that doesn't seem fair. You're working hard yourself. Practice what you preach, Dana."

I gave him a glare, which soon melted. I couldn't really stay angry with him so long, not after almost losing him. Time is too precious to waste feeling annoyed or angry with another person—it's one of the things I have learned. Before I knew it, Daniel had pulled me closer to him, his arms were around my waist and he was looking at me like nothing else mattered at that moment.

"I thought I'd lost you, Daniel," I said as I ran my hand on his hair, pushing it away from his eyes.

"I thought so, too," Daniel admitted. "I wasn't worried about myself, though. I was more worried about you and the others. I knew that whatever they were planning, it would be bad news to you guys...and to the rest of the universe. I was willing to sacrifice myself if it meant putting a stop to what they were planning on using me for."

"I would have hated you for that," I told him, not looking at him directly at the eye.

I knew that he wasn't lying. About sacrificing himself for the greater good, I mean. And, I wasn't lying myself. Call me selfish but I wouldn't want him to die just for that noble ambition or his sense of duty to the whole universe. We may be the last of the Alien Hunters but that doesn't mean we have to die for it.

Daniel didn't say anything after that. Well, not about sacrificing himself, I mean. We both strayed away from that somber topic, it did not do us any good to dwell on those things especially with the possibility that we may have all met our match. Instead, Daniel and I allowed the silence to take over. It was a perfect kind of silence. We didn't need to say or do anything but just be. That's one of the things I like about us.

Both Daniel and I were about to fall asleep when the door suddenly slide open and in comes Khadagh.

Surprised, we bolted out of bed, like we were caught doing something we _shouldn't_ be doing. And, for no reason that I could think of, I was blushing, like I was embarrassed about something. I quickly shook that feeling away as I glared at Khadagh.

_What could he possibly want now? He didn't want us to disturb him before..._

"Let's talk," Khadagh said, his eyes fixed on Daniel as he clapped his hands and created a chair for him to sit down on.

Daniel looked at me and I shrugged. I had only managed to tell Khadagh the basics, not really knowing how to explain the other things to him.

Before Daniel could ask what Khadagh wants to know, Khadagh beat him to it by talking before he could.

"We don't have much time," Khadagh began.

"Not much time? What are you talking about?" I interjected. "Our pursuers are a long way away from us. We have enough time."

"No we _don't_." Khadagh pressed. "Joe managed to pick up a radio signal from The Prayer. He's really going out of his way calling for a manhunt not just for Daniel and me but for the rest of us. I've been trying to find a safe place to let this whole thing blow before we counter-attack and see what we can do with the time rift but...even that safehouse I had in mind isn't safe any more. And we all know we can't go back to Earth or to Alpar Nok and, unless we are dealing with the people from my timeline, I won't be able to help you guys much. This is your battlefield."

"So, what now? You can't expect us to win against the army that The Prayer is amassing." Daniel said.

Khadagh closed his eyes before he spoke, "There is _one_ way..."

"And that is?" I asked.

Khadagh opened his eyes, a look of weariness that had never crossed his features before now lay bare in his face, "I have to drag them all back."

"Drag them back? What are you talking about?" I couldn't help asking. It was strange seeing a look of resignation in his face.

"He means the alternate versions of you and the others," Daniel said, catching up on what Khadagh was planning. "But, that would mean that—"

Khadagh nods, "I have to lure them into a time portal and—."

"Wait, you want us to go back to that fortress and that time rift and allow you to try to get them to take the bait?" I couldn't believe what Khadagh was proposing. It was more than dangerous, it also has a low probability of success.

"That would really be suicide, Khadagh," Even Daniel agreed with me. "Besides, we'd all be in trouble if you fail."

Khadagh sighed, "And that is why I must insist that you both let me finish what I am about to say before you throw violent reactions into my direction like that. We don't need to go back to the fortress, at least, not yet. I can try creating a portal back to my time, but I can't do it alone. I would need both of your help not just in creating the portal but also in closing it."

"But I thought you can't do something like that," I couldn't help saying.

"I can't, not by myself nor for the sole purpose of going back to my own time without fulfilling my promise but...I think Graff and Altrea—mom and dad—would understand the situation. That's why I am asking for both of your help, with our powers combined, we can create a portal that would just be enough to send me and the others right back where we came from."

"That's dangerous..." Daniel shook his head, "I'm willing to do it but putting Dana in danger as well...?"

I frowned.

"We won't be able to do it by ourselves. We _need_ her power." Khadagh said.

"But—!"

I elbowed Daniel at the gut right then and there. I didn't care if he was injured still. I really hate it when he answers for me and when he thinks me incapable of defending myself and fighting alongside them.

After giving him a good glare, I turned to face Khadagh, "We have to wait until Daniel's powers are back, though. I can't amplify your power while trying to unseal his at the same time. I'm not _that_ good with my abilities yet."

Khadagh nods, "Fair enough. But our time _is_ running short. It would take quite a bit of time to set everything up and, after that, we have to make sure that all of you have a fighting chance against the remaining enemies here once I'm gone. I have no idea how we can do that, though..."

"I may know someone who can help us," Daniel said as he rubbed his sore spot.

"Who?" I asked, knowing for sure that he didn't mean Maerwen and the others.

"An old friend indebted to me," was Daniel's only reply, along with a confident grin.


	12. The Girl With A Thousand Shadows

**A Daniel X Fanfic **

**by Sakura Martinez**

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Quick Note:<strong>

Okay, just wanna let you guys know that I have added a new category in my blog: Sakura no Kokoro where I will answer any question you might have and reply to reviews I receive from the stories and fan fiction I have scattered around the net. Just an FYI. Now, enjoy the new chapter. :D

* * *

><p><strong>Disclaimer: <strong>

I do not own Daniel X, or the characters in that story. James Patterson own the rights for them. What I do own is the idea for the fanfic and this fanfic itself.

* * *

><p><strong>Summary: <strong>

After surviving Void's Game, being reunited with his _drang_, and learning the truth about Void, Daniel X leaves with Khadagh to prepare for the imminent battle between Number One and Two. But when both Daniel and Khadagh disappears, The Prayer begins his revenge, seeking the aid of a mysterious group. Now, it's a race against time our heroes to put a stop to The Prayer's latest scheme before it's too late and it will take everything in their power to do so.

* * *

><p><strong>Daniel X: Out of Time <strong>

**Chapter Eleven **

**The Girl With A Thousand Shadows**

* * *

><p>Daniel didn't bother to explain anything to me or to the rest of the <em>drang<em>. With the exception of Khadagh, we didn't know where we were going or who this "old friend" who was indebted to Daniel was. Try as I may, I couldn't pry the knowledge from either of them. All Daniel told me, repeatedly like a broken record, was "You'll see."

We passed by planet after planet, asteroid belt after asteroid belt. The path Khadagh took wasn't your conventional space travel path. He chose the most hazardous environs to plunge Bonaventure into with the explanation that it was one way to lose our pursuers and whatever mechanical drones that were sent after us. The way he maneuvered the ship could be described in one word: suicidal. Though we understood why he was doing it—apart from the fact that this was the way to wherever Daniel's friend was—I could see the others wrestling with the desire to take the wheel away from Khadagh with the hope of prolonging our lives.

"I swear, if he doesn't slow down, I'm going to rig the engines before I puke." Joe-Joe gritted his teeth. I knew he felt nauseous. We all did as the Bonaventure dipped, swayed, rolled from side to side, as it avoid space junk and other debris.

"Don't even think about it," Emma said, "I'd rather we all end up puking than being caught by The Prayer and his men."

"I'd rather we _don't_ puke and Khadagh just drive this thing like a normal alien." sighed Willy.

"Ditto," was all I could say.

* * *

><p>Daniel flexed his arms and I watched his face, waiting for him to grimace. He didn't. He just smiled and that smiled made me finally exhale the breath I didn't know I was holding.<p>

"It worked," he grinned as he began shadow-boxing. "It doesn't hurt anymore."

I nodded. "One seal down, two more to go."

He stopped his exercise and tugged me at my arm, pulling me towards him. I didn't fight it and ended up in his embrace.

"I knew you could do it," he whispered to me. "And I'm pretty sure you can do it again."

"The distance helped," I told him. "The farther we get away from our pursuers the higher the chances of unsealing your powers. I've been trying to make myself stronger but, I'm afraid that, when the time comes, I won't be able to do much."

Daniel pushed me away so that I could see his face and he could see mine. He then shook his head and said, "I highly doubt that. I'm pretty sure you're getting stronger than you think, because I'm sure that you're much stronger than you give yourself credit for. I can train with you, if you'd like. Though I have no idea how you go about your training now that Maerwen's not around."

"That's...not entirely true." I said. And, before he could ask me what I meant, I added, "Dream Walking."

Understanding flared at Daniel and he nodded. "Makes sense."

Daniel and I talked some more after that. And I still tried to pry the information of our destination from him and even tried to make him tell me who this "friend" was. But, no matter what I said or did, he would not budge and he remained indignant with not sharing that knowledge with me. Which, of course, pissed me off.

"You'll see." was all he said.

And the next day, I did.

The Bonaventure docked at a strip of barren land. The moment we stepped out of the ship and Daniel led the way past the dead trees and the giant rocks that blocked our way however, the description of where the ship landed was pretty useless for we were surrounded by nothing but a barren wasteland. It was like a planet that had just experienced the apocalypse. There were no lush vegetation. No colorful floras and interesting, alien fauna. All there was were dead trees, large boulders, ragged mountains, and the cracked earth.

"What is this place?" Emma asked, shivering at the sight before her. She was in-tuned with nature and I can only imagine what this planet feels like for her.

"Varjo." Daniel replied. His voice echoing around us. He looked around, his face masked. "A couple of years back I managed to stop a maniacal circus master who was actually a slave trader in disguise. One of the prisoners he had was a Varjian."

"And this Varjian is what we came here for?" Willy asked.

Daniel nodded.

Khadagh remained quiet, not raining on Daniel's parade. Emma looked like she was sick. Willy looked skeptical as he began to finger the safety on the Opus 50/50. Joe, on the other hand, was deep in thought.

"Varjo...Varjian...I could have sworn I've heard of them before," I could hear him muttering to himself even as we began to make our way with Daniel leading the entourage.

* * *

><p>We had been walking for a long, long time and I have come to know three things about Varjo: one, it is as desolate as it looked; two, there are no other living creatures in the planet; and three, the sun was unbearably hot. It should already have been night-time, under normal circumstances. However, the sun was still at its highest, the temperature hotter than it had been when we first started trudging along. All of us were drenched in sweat. The boys—with the exception of Khadagh and Daniel—have already taken off their jackets and their shirts. Emma and I did the same, taking off our jackets but keeping our shirts on—thankfully, we were both wearing sleeveless shirts underneath our jackets.<p>

Khadagh had, at one point, materialized a portable electric fan with unlimited energy, but even the wind from the said appliance did nothing to alleviate the heat. The water that he also materialized for us to drink only managed to quench our thirst for five minutes at most before we all began to feel dehydrated again. Touching my hair, I felt as though it would combust any minute now and I could feel the heat sipping through the rubber soles of my shoes.

"How...much...farther?" Willy huffed as he dragged the Opus—and himself—forward.

Daniel stopped and took a look around. After a few seconds of pause, he replied, "Just a bit more."

"Can't we just have Khadagh create a vehicle and just ride it to whatever destination we're going to?" I asked, sounding snappy. Like everyone else I was also so very tired.

Daniel sighed, "We can't. I won't be able to see the signs inside a vehicle."

_Signs? What signs?_ I wanted to voice out that question, but decided otherwise. I did not want to waste any more time standing around under the glare of the sun.

We continued on with our grueling trek.

After what seemed like a gazillion years in hell, Daniel pointed ahead of us and shouted, "There!" before running. Looking at my other companions who merely shrugged, as confused as I was with what Daniel had seen, we all tumbled after him. I suppose all of us were thinking the same thing: _Finally!_

None of us were sure at that moment about what happened next. One moment, we were following Daniel as he sprinted across the wasteland and the next he was gone. We all stopped abruptly, adrenaline coursed through my veins and so did the feat that something bad had happened to my boyfriend yet again. I was ready to fight, should anyone come out wanting one.

"Where's Daniel?" Emma asked the question that was on all our minds, her voice trembling.

"I...don't know. He just disappeared," I answered, my voice quivering as well.

Khadagh cursed and clapped weapons into existence, handing one to me, Emma, and Joe. Willy flicked the safety of the Opus off and cocked it at the ready. It was like whatever was out there—for I suddenly felt that we weren't alone—were waiting for us to make the first move. The moment that we were all poised for battle, darkness suddenly flew out of the ground and covered us, encasing us all under a dome made of pulsating and tangible shadows.

"W-what the heck's happening?" Emma shouted her question.

Willy moved towards his sister, touched her shoulder and said, "I don't know what's going on but I'm going to make sure that whatever's out there doesn't lay a hand on you, sis."

Emma nodded, though she also promised not to be a burden to us all and that she was going to fight alongside us, too even though we all knew that the desolation of this planet was having an effect on her power.

"Be on guard, everyone," Khadagh said, his voice a whisper as if he feared that whatever had come to attack us and had taken Daniel would be listening. Of course, he didn't have to tell us that. We were already on our guards.

Just then figures began to emerge from the gloom. They were all humanoid in shape, though their arms were longer, they faces devoid of any facial features. They moved like they were made of jelly, their bodies just as flexible and swayed as they moved in unison. There were a couple of dozens of them, encircling us, that we had to move back and regroup, bundled together.

Even as it was evident that a battle would soon occur, Joe was still muttering the same thing, "I know I've heard about them. Where was it? What was it about?"

"Now really isn't the time for trying to remember whatever it was you read, Joe," I said, trying to keep my voice from shaking further.

But Joe-Joe either did not hear me very well as the shadows began moaning and groaning and making all sorts of ghoulish sounds, or he chose not to hear me amidst the noise. And, before I can berate him, our enemies began to engage us in battle.

We tried to push them back, fought with all we had, but whatever we do it did nothing to harm them. Our attacks just went past them, their bodies seemingly made from nothing but air.

Just when we were about to lose, Joe suddenly exclaimed, "I remember!"

"Remember what?" Willy shouted back as he called forth a weapon that looked as though it was a cross between a bazooka and a machine gun.

"The Varjians! I know what they are!" Joe replied, he was so ecstatic. He then turned to Khadagh and said, "This is a test. The Varijians are trying to gauge our strength—mentally and physically. They will only stop attacking once we immobilize the shadows. Khadagh, you have to create something that could block the sun. That's the only way we can pass through."

"What?" Khadagh asked. It was apparent that whatever mission the Planet Varjo and the Varjians had with Daniel, Khadagh knew nothing about it. Which also meant that this was one of those things that differ between the two realities presented in both Khadagh and Daniel.

Joe's fingers began to move through the keyboard of his Symbiote. "The Varjians are Shadow Puppet Masters. Shadows only appear when there is a source of light, take out that source and you take out the shadows. Problem solved. Now do it!"

I could see that Khadagh didn't like being bossed around by Joe but he didn't argue and he quickly did as he was told. With a clap of his hands, Khadagh materialized the largest, widest, and longest roof I had ever seen. It encompassed the whole area as far as the eye could see and did what it was meant to do—it severed the connection between the sun and whoever it was that were controlling the "Shadow Puppets".

With the sun hidden behind the iron roof, the Shadow Puppets halted in their movements. Seconds later they vanished completely leaving us alone and sweaty and tired. The dome made of shadow that had also disappeared and we soon found ourselves looking at a little girl with dark-red skin and big eyes the color of muck. Beside her was Daniel, his arms crossed and looking as though he was greatly annoyed.

I was to. Of him and of that girl whom I guessed was the Varjian in question.

"Sorry," Daniel said as he walked towards us, shaking his head. "I wanted to help out but Nocta didn't want me to. She said you'd have to prove yourselves on your own." He then turned towards Joe and said, "Good call on Varjians, Joe."

Joe nodded, but his attention was fixed solely on Nocta—the Varjian.

Nocta fixed us with a gaze that could freeze the fiery depths of hell. A second passed, and then a full minute before she spoke two words. Her voice was cold and hollow.

"Follow me," was all she said.

* * *

><p>Fifteen minutes later, we found ourselves seated inside a cave. The source of light coming from its entrance, as well as from the braziers that held blue-violet flames bathed the room in an eerie sort of light. There was nothing in the cave worth nothing. No furniture, no decorations that would make it feel homey or would indicate what kind of...person...Nocta was. It was as bare as the desert that we had fumbled our way from.<p>

Away from the heat, the refreshments that Khadagh created with his powers managed to do what it was supposed to do—refresh us. Finally, after what seemed like a millennia, the water that I drank quenched my thirst. I fought the urge to moan in pleasure as I drank like my life depended on it.

Once she had seen that we were all settled and refreshed, Nocta turned to Daniel and aske, "Why have you come, Daniel X?" The way she spoke Daniel's name made it sound like she was saying 'Dan-Eel'.

"I—We—came here to ask for your help, Nocta," Daniel replied.

"Help?" Nocta sounded surprised, like she never believed that there would actually come a day when Daniel X would ask for her help. I wondered just how famous Daniel really was and how much he was revered by those whom he stands for and those that knew of his existence. "What is it you need from me?"

Daniel then launched into a full-retelling of the events that had transpired from before his capture up to the moment of his rescue. He told Nocta that "bad men" were after him and that the only way to defeat these "bad men" would be to send them back from where they came from. He then told her of our dilemma. That we were too few as opposed to the number of followers The Prayer and Undinogh has. I didn't understand what this lone Varjian could possibly do to account for a boost in our line of allies, but I didn't voice out my confusion and simply listened as Daniel went on with his spiel.

Once he was finished, Willy had fallen asleep and Joe and Emma had went to their own corner discussing who knows what. Only Khadagh and myself had our attention directed at the conversation between an Alparian and a Varjian.

Another full-minute passed before Nocta spoke again, "You want me to help give you more time to finish the preparations for this portal?"

Daniel nodded. "They will, most likely, try to get to us with an army of their own to capture me and Khadagh and put a stop to whatever we're doing. That's where you come in."

"It will be difficult." Nocta spoke slowly. "I have never tried to use my powers in space before. I don't even know if the use of my powers extends to such a place."

I was still at a lost as to what they were talking about but, apparently, Khadagh had managed to get the idea.

"I believe you will be able to use it," he said, "There is a source of light and shadows does exist in space, far more than on planets. It would also be more powerful considering that there would be nothing to hinder the connection between you and your source of light, which is this galaxy's suns."

Daniel agreed with his alternate-universe self. "With the two suns of this galaxy, you would have to sources of lights, that would expand the cover of your powers."

Nocta thought for a moment, perhaps running the scenario—whatever it is—on her mind.

After a while, she spoke. "It has been a long time since The Prayer sold me to that circus. It would be nice to be able to have my revenge on him and his people." she paused then added, "I will ask for the others to help. There are only a few of us, but they would also want to take part in such a scheme in which we can pay The Prayer back for what he has done to our people."

"That would be great, Nocta," Daniel smiled at her.

"Yes," she nodded in agreement, "It would be. Especially when they get what is coming to them."


	13. The Shackles That Bind

**A Daniel X Fanfic**

**by Sakura Martinez**

* * *

><p><strong>Disclaimer:<strong>

I do not own Daniel X, or the characters in that story. James Patterson own the rights for them. What I do own is the idea for the fanfic and this fanfic itself.

* * *

><p><strong>Summary:<strong>

After surviving Void's Game, being reunited with his _drang_, and learning the truth about Void, Daniel X leaves with Khadagh to prepare for the imminent battle between Number One and Two. But when both Daniel and Khadagh disappears, The Prayer begins his revenge, seeking the aid of a mysterious group. Now, it's a race against time our heroes to put a stop to The Prayer's latest scheme before it's too late and it will take everything in their power to do so.

* * *

><p><strong>Daniel X: Out of Time<strong>

**Chapter Twelve**

**The Shackles That Bind**

* * *

><p>One of the perks at having someone who can create anything out of thin air with only the use of his own imagination, was that you never have to worry about stuff that you might need. Of course, when it comes to Daniel using his powers, he needs to concentrate really hard. Most of the time he can't create something he has never seen or had no idea about, which limits his powers to some extent. There are times when his imagination isn't enough, times when he needs a bit of knowledge of how the thing works or what it is made of. Daniel doesn't grumble about the limitations on his powers, but I know he feel frustrated about it.<p>

Not as frustrated as not being able to use said powers, though.

The limitations that are currently imposed on Daniel however, are nonexistent to Khadagh. What the full extent of his own adventures and misadventures had been in that alternate timeline, it had managed to break through those limitations. Joe and Emma had both pointed out on one occasion that perhaps the limitations were gone simply because Khadagh has more experience than Daniel, that perhaps in the future, Daniel would not need to worry about the components but be able to create something purely because he wills it to.

I am pretty sure Daniel is looking forward to that.

Anyways, having Khadagh around when is pretty useful. We didn't have to live inside Nocta's cave. As soon as Nocta went out to meet with the other Varjians who seem to want to keep to themselves, Khadagh immediately went out and created a dome-shaped house out of thin air.

The house looked small from the outside but, like Bonaventure, it is only an illusion because once you step inside, you'd be surprised by how spacious it is. The house was made of some sort of material that I hadn't known existed before. This material insulated the heat and, with the help of a powerful set of air conditioning system, kept the whole house at a comfortable temperature so much so that you would even forget the unbearable heat that existed outside of that bubble of a house.

Upon entering, you will be greeted by the living room, completely furnished and ready to accommodate. Two paths lead from it: one going to the north-west, the other heading north-east. The north-west passage led to four rooms, one for each of the guys, plus a bathroom that they would all be sharing for the duration of our stay. The north-east led to my room and Emma's room, plus a large room that Khadagh had set-up as a form of command center. Unlike the boys' part of the house, Emma and I didn't need to share bathrooms. Our rooms were equipped with one for each of us.

Sometimes it pays to be a girl.

Rest and relaxation, however, were not in the list of activities that we had while staying in Varjo. The two words were as alien to us as we were to other lifeforms who knew nothing about our existence. As we wait for the Varjian to come to an agreement, Khadagh led us through a mountain of information concerning time-travelling, most of which-judging from the look on Daniel's face-was as new to him as it was to us.

Khadagh described what we-he, Daniel, and I-had to do in order to create another portal and what is expected of Willy, Emma, and Joe, as well as the Varjians-should they really agree to come to our aid. From what he had told us, it was going to be one tough mission, one that would have a 99.9 percent chance of backfiring on us.

Though I suddenly felt like I didn't want to do it-and I was pretty sure that the others shared my sentiment-I still agreed with what Daniel had said: If there's even a slightest chance that it would work, we would have to take it.

"Failure is just an option. It becomes the only reality when we don't do something," he had also said.

Easier said than done, we all agreed.

Two days later, still no sign of Nocta or the other Varjians.

Not wanting to waste time, Khadagh had taken Willy and Joe off with him to scout around the planet and search for the best place to call forth the portal, leaving Daniel, Emma, and I to fend for myself.

Emma, being Emma, decided that the best way for her to spend her time was to try and figure out the ecosystem in Varjo. It amazed her that the Varjians could live in such a desolate world. She wanted to know as much as she could about the planet and its inhabitants. The trouble was, with the Varjians in on their little meeting, she didn't have anyone to ask and so, she did what she normally did under such circumstances: she began searching for facts on her own.

Emma is pretty smart. Although, I have to admit, that adjective pretty much describes Alparians. We needed brains as much as we needed brawns if we were to survive in our profession. Some, like Daniel for example, just don't like to use that particular part of the nervous system all that much. Sure, Daniel plans and is smart-knowing more than most humans could possibly know about-but most of the time he doesn't think through his actions.

Because of her research, Emma ended up staying outside. The hot temperature not bothering her.

With the others all outside of the house, Daniel and I decided to give unsealing his powers another try. We were being pursued, true, but both of us doubted that our pursuers actually knew where we were going and that, hopefully, gave a lot of distance between us and them.

"You know," Daniel said after the third time I tried to free his powers. "If I don't get my powers back soon, we won't be able to go ahead with the plan."

"We won't be able to go with it even if you did get your powers but theVarjians chose not to help you." I told him. "I doubt one Varjian would be enough."

Daniel laughed, like I had just said the funniest joke he had ever heard on all quadrants of space.

"What?" I asked him, partially ticked off.

"You have no idea just how powerful even a lone Varjian can be, provided that they have a source of light in their midst."

"Enlighten me then," I told him as I divided my attention between his upcoming explanation and the seal that was keeping his powers away.

As I probed for the seal, Daniel told me how Nocta can summon thousands of Shadow Puppets for her to control alone and that, according to him, was only under the influence of a mid-morning sun.

"What more under the influence of _two_ suns?" He added. "When I rescued her from that creep-fest of a carnival, the only thing I did was unlock her door and create a giant lamp that gave her the source of light she needed. She did the rest. She was actually the one who annihilated her captors, not me."

I conceded, "And you think a thousand of her puppets would be enough to buy us time to get the portal going and allow Khadagh to drag our alternate selves back to their own timeline?"

"No, I don't." he answered. "The Prayer and Undinogh has a lot of followers. A thousand won't even make a dent against their forces. But, if what Khadagh and I had thought of is correct, Nocta would be able to call forth more than half a hundred thousand puppets on her own. If we can get others to join, that would, hopefully, even us out with The Prayer's forces."

"And if not?" I asked.

"Then it would all fall on you and how much you can amplify Khadagh and my power," Daniel replied, looking at me with those piercing, blue eyes of his. "The stronger you can make us, the faster the portal will open and the easier it would be for Khadagh..."

_So, it all falls on me? Well, that's unnerving_. I thought to myself, choosing not to voice out what I was thinking.

Even though I didn't say how much it frightened me that I might fail to do what they wanted me to do, Daniel seemed to have been able to pick up on my mood. He traced a finger down the side of my cheek before it rested below my jaw. He then made me look at him once more.

"You _can_ do it, you know," he said, his voice barely a whisper. "I believe you can. You just have to believe that you can too."

He didn't wait for me to say anything after that. He didn't allow to voice scenarios that were twirling around in my head. He simply kissed me right then and there. The world around us receded and, at that moment, nothing else mattered to me but him and me.

* * *

><p>I was exhausted that I immediately fell asleep even before my head hit the pillow.<p>

Emma's research regarding the Varjians had made her giddy and with that giddiness she began dumping information after information, after information to me. She tells me how the Varjians live and survive in this desolate world; She tells me what diet the Varjians have; She tells me their history and their lifestyle-including mating rituals that I would have rather not heard and have no power to unhear. All the things she have unearthed about our mysterious-and, hopefully-allies she tells me. I don't know how she managed to learn all of these things, she wouldn't tell me how, but she did.

I didn't complain about it, though. I know that without Joe, who was just as interested about these aliens as she was, and with only Daniel and I with her, she could only come to me to unwind the day's findings. After all, Daniel didn't seem a tad bit interested in what she has learned. Maybe he already knew those things. Who knows?

As I drifted off to sleep, a tug in my consciousness brought me face to face with Maerwen. I fought the urge to groan.

"It has been a while, child," she said as way of greeting. "I sense you are troubled."

There was no use denying that. Not that I wanted to deny it.

"It's just that, it seems there is a lot riding on my shoulders, Maerwen," I told her. "They expect me to be able to do it."

"You mean Daniel expects you to do it," Maerwen corrected me. When I didn't respond she went on to ask, "What is it exactly he wishes you to accomplish?"

I told her what it is I was asked to do, as well as the trouble with unsealing Daniel's powers. I told her how worried I was that we were running out of time. _I_ was running out of time. And, evne though I didn't particularly liked how Maerwen handles me during my training, I have to admit that it felt...nice to be able to just say what I want to say-my fears, my reservations, and my worries.

She looked at me, but her eyes were gazing at something farther behind me as she spoke, "I may not always agree with what the young Alien Hunter wants, but I do agree with him on this one, my young Dana. He believes that you can do it. I believe you can, too. It is not that the seal which is preventing Daniel from using his powers is strong, but it is because you do not feel confident enough in yourself that you can break it."

Her gaze then shifts back to me, "You have an amazing power, Dana. But you are not as confident as him. I do not know why it is, but I suspect that what Khadagh had done may have shaken your confidence in yourself."

"It's not that-" I began to say, but she cut me off.

"It is okay to admit it, Dana. I can see right through you." Maerwen said. "You should not be burdened with shame for you have no control with what Khadagh wanted to do with you. Release yourself from that past his foolishness had created. The reason why you keep on failing is because you carry a burden which you should not be carrying." A pause followed by, "The secret to our power-to _your_ power-is not just the strength of your mind, your concentration. It is also with the strength of your heart. Remember that."

And, with another tug, this time back to my own consciousness, I found myself lying awake, staring at the pastel colors of the ceiling and Maerwen's words echoing in my head.

I closed my eyes again.

I have kept it to myself for a long time and had thought that I was doing a damn good job at hiding it. I should have known that Maerwen would see right through me. She always does.

Daniel and the others did not know it but I have continued to beat myself over what I had almost done to Daniel. I had tried to kill him. Almost succeeded. That, in and of itself, was a crime. It was a treachery and they all know it. We were a part of a _drang. _A bond that is tighter than one's bond to one's home and family. A bond that revolves around faith and trust. It was the ultimate form of brotherhood-or sisterhood-one in which each member would gladly lay down their life for the sake of a member of a _drang_.

And, although Willy had tried blasting Daniel's head off, and Emma threatened to do the same. They both did not know that it really was Daniel. They had an excuse. I, on the other hand, _knew_ who he was and still I _wanted_ to kill him. To hurt him. That is not what a _drang_ does.

It wasn't my fault-that is what they told me. Even Khadagh has taken the blame for himself, with regards to my actions. But there is that part inside of me that knows I cannot change the past. What I had done. Still, the _drang_ welcomed me. Daniel even wept for me and went ballistics when he thought I had died.

_...And he chose to love me still._

I knew what Maerwen said was true. I shouldn't beat myself over it again and again. But, I kept wondering, had I done enough? Has Daniel really forgotten and forgiven me or does that make-believe reality I had made in hopes to kill him still linger in his mind?

I wanted to ask him all of that before, but I was always afraid of what the answer might be.

_But if what Maerwen says is true, then I have to ask...I have to know, to finally have closure._

* * *

><p>I found Daniel outside, disregarding the heat as he shadow-boxed. I watched him as he continued with his exercise, oblivious to the fact that he was no longer alone.<p>

Sweat glistened from his forehead and his arms. His eyes showed the same fire in them as he did when he fought with Void-with Khadagh. His mouth was slightly opened where he breathe. I continued to watch him for a couple of minutes more while I also wondered where Emma had gone to this time. After a while, I finally cleared my throat to let him know I was there.

He stopped mid-punch and looked at my direction, confused for a moment before straightening up and grinning.

"You're up early," he said as he walked towards me. He was about to hug me when I put a hand out to stop him. "What?"

"You're sweaty," I pointed out.

He laughed and shrugged. "So? What's up? You rarely get up early unless something's up."

"I wasn't able to sleep well at all last night," I told him.

"Bad dream?" Worry crossed his features.

I shook my head. It wasn't a bad dream. "An enlightening one."

Confusion marred his features again.

I didn't want to talk with him under the glaring sun, and so I simply turned around and motioned to him to follow me inside the house. He complied. of course.

Once inside, Daniel tugged at my arm, forcing me to turn around and face him.

"What is it, Dana?" He asked. He looked so serious, like what I was about to bare some apocalyptic news.

I inhaled and exhaled a shaky breath.

"Maerwen...spoke with me last night." I began.

"Dream walking?" He asked as he went to the kitchen and took out a bottle of water from the refrigerator.

I nodded.

"What did she want?" I could tell from how Daniel spoke that he really did not like my mentor.

"Nothing really," I replied with a sigh, "I was actually the one who wanted something from her...though I didn't know it at that time."

A quirk of the eyebrow was his reply.

"She gave me an advice that I needed,"

"About what?"

I paused a moment, not sure how to proceed.

Last night, I have decided to open myself up more to Daniel and my friends. To tell them what was bothering me-all of it. Though Maerwen didn't really say it out loud, I understood the subliminal message she was trying to tell me. One that I didn't know I had forgotten and didn't know I was doing. But, now that I was actually about to have a heart-to-heart conversation with the boy I love, I didn't know what to say or how to say it.

Daniel was patient with me. He didn't push me to speak but waited while I gathered my thoughts.

After a while, I finally laid them down. I talked and he listened, never once interrupting me. I told him everything and his eyes never left my face, his attention never wavered from me.

When I finished talking, silence enveloped us. And then a sigh escaped his lips followed by, "You're stupid, Dana."

That was definitely not what I had imagined he would say after just laying it all down the line and opening my heart to him. Before I could say anything, he pulled me closer to him. My body pressed his.

"How many times do I have to tell you, you did nothing wrong. Don't beat yourself up for something you didn't have control over." He said, "We never took it against you. You didn't betray any of us. The stuff that happened wasn't your fault. You should know that. And you should also know that I would never hold anything against you."

"But-"

"No 'but's. Stop thinking it's your fault. Please." A pause, followed by a thought then, "You know that dream you gave me, when you were under Void's orders to kill me?"

_How could I forget?_

"It is true that I hated having that dream, being able to see the life that I could have had and but never have." A deep breath. "But, at the same time, I am also thankful for it, Dana. Because it strengthened my resolve to make The Prayer, and those like him, to pay for their crimes. So, even then, you've helped me."

I was silent, trying very hard to keep the tears that were burning at the back of my eyelids from falling.

"I don't hate you, Dana." Daniel kept at it. "I never will. I will always, _always _love you and only you."

Those words did it, and I found the tightness in my chest recede. The tears then came flowing making Daniel hug me that much tighter.

Unconditional love. That was what it was.


	14. Those Who Pursue

**A Daniel X Fanfic **

**by Sakura Martinez**

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Notes:<strong>

****I'm really sorry about not being able to update. I've been trying to find inspiration for this fanfic and it's hard seeing as there are fewer fans of the series here compared to the other fandoms that I could probably write about. But, I'm not going to abandon this fanfic. It might take a little bit of a while for updates to come but there _will_ be updates and I _will_ finish this.

* * *

><p><strong>Disclaimer: <strong>

I do not own Daniel X, or the characters in that story. James Patterson own the rights for them. What I do own is the idea for the fanfic and this fanfic itself.

* * *

><p><strong>Summary: <strong>

After surviving Void's Game, being reunited with his _drang_, and learning the truth about Void, Daniel X leaves with Khadagh to prepare for the imminent battle between Number One and Two. But when both Daniel and Khadagh disappears, The Prayer begins his revenge, seeking the aid of a mysterious group to put a completely annihilate all Alien Hunters in the galaxy. Now, it's a race against time our heroes to put a stop to The Prayer's latest scheme before it's too late.

* * *

><p><strong>Daniel X: Out of Time <strong>

**Chapter Thirteen**

**Those Who Pursue**

* * *

><p>It felt claustrophobic.<p>

It always has. And, she supposed, it always will be. Not just for her, but for every one of them. But she knew better than to call the others on that. After all, that would be a sign of weakness and they were taught never to entertain such things. Besides, she couldn't blame themselves for what had become of them.

None of them had been the same.

Not since Alpak Nor was attacked.

Not since Ergent Seth captured them.

Not since they knew Daniel X was still alive and fighting against the evil of the universe.

Not since hope blossomed within them. Hope that Daniel would rescue them from the hands of their enemy.

Not since that hoped was crushed. Completely.

Not only had Daniel failed to rescue them, he also abandoned them to Ergent Seth and his experiments.

They were tortured and forced into submission. Forced to do his every bidding until all of their humanity—their emotions, their feelings, their free will—were flushed down, taken away from them. All that is, except for anger and that thirst for revenge. A thirst that worsened with the knowledge that Daniel was alive and living his life in an alternate dimension under the guise of someone else.

Their new employer didn't tell them what exactly Daniel—or Kadagh as he had started calling himself—was doing in this particular dimension. And, she supposed, none of them actually cared. What was important was that the target for their revenge was here. After so long they were finally at the dawn of their revenge. They were closing in on the planet that the maggots had escaped to. She should be excited and anxious, just like the others.

Daniel betrayed her. He betrayed the _drang. _

They had utter and complete faith in him. And what did Daniel X—Khadagh—do? He hid himself away.

Worse than betraying the _drang_, Daniel also had the gall to betray her heart. For that alone he should die.

But, even as she thought that, Dana could not understand the feeling that was bubbling in the pit of her stomach. She felt like she should know what it was she was feeling, but she couldn't put the word to it. She didn't know what to call it. All that she could tell was that she wasn't anticipating Daniel X's fall as much as she thought she would be anticipating it.

Dana's brow furrowed at that thought as she wondered when she started to feel that way—whatever way that was.

The answer quickly came to her. It was ever since she came face-to-face with the Daniel X of this timeplane...

* * *

><p><em>It was strange looking at one of the most feared—if not <em>THE _most feared—alien hunter in the universe. She knew that she shouldn't really be surprised. This wasn't the first time she saw Daniel. But, she had to admit that this was the first time she saw him face-to-face. Not that he knew who she was. But, she supposed Daniel would eventually know the truth. She was certain The Prayer would rub it in his face. She found pleasure in imagining what that would be like._

_She wanted to hurt him. To hurt him even more. After all, Daniel was already black-and-blue from what he suffered under her and Willy's hands. But, there was no pleasure in mauling a foe that had yet to regained consciousness. _

_"Are you sure you're going to be alright guarding him by yourself?" Joe had asked, though Dana knew that despite asking, Joe could care less._

_"Of course. Who do you think I am?" Dana replied. "Even if he regains consciousness, what will he do? He can't beat me even if he tried."_

_Joe laughed, though it was without mirth. "True. Though I'd like to see him try just so we can break more bones in his body than he can count."_

_After that exchange, Joe left her to do whatever the hell it was he wanted to do. Not that there was much to do inside their employer's ship._

_Though they were given free reign on the ship, Undinogh didn't really give them much freedom. It didn't matter much to them, though. The only reason they agreed to be hired and dragged to this timeplane was to get even with Daniel X, Khadagh, or whoever he was right now._

_As the doors to the make-shift prison closed behind her, Dana looked at the slumped and unconscious form of this timeplane's Daniel X. Looking at him, it was hard to tell that this boy was the thorn to the side of the aliens on The List. He looked just like a normal human. There was nothing of worth to mention. He was just...nondescript._

_But Dana knew not to trust what her eyes show her. This is Daniel X and she knew better than to let her guard down._

_She then sat down. As far away from him as was possible without lessening the security in the room. Even though this Daniel was not the Daniel that was from her time and her dimension, he was still Daniel and, as such, he was still responsible—in some way or another—for what she and the others had become._

_She didn't know how long it had already been, but she knew that Joe was taking his time. She also knew that her shift was ending and that it should be his turn guarding the prisoner. It irked her that he chose to be late._

_She was about to leave Daniel locked up in that room, have someone else guard it in the meantime, and search for Joe when she heard him moan. Turning around, she saw that he was regaining consciousness and was trying to force himself to sit. Trying but not succeeding._

_Dana slowly turned around, waiting for Daniel to notice that he was not alone. It took a while and a lot of grunting, groaning and moaning before he finally managed to sit himself up and even a longer while before he finally opened his eyes and saw that he was not alone._

_She had to give him credit, though. He didn't jump in surprise. Not that he could. He genuinely didn't look like he was surprised to find himself in her presence._

_"I guess..." he said in a raspy voice, "...that wasn't a dream."_

_Dana kept silent. Watching him. Getting herself ready for any sudden attacks or any form of retaliation from him should he try to escape._

_"That getup," Daniel went on. "I'm guessing you're one of those guys who tried to beat me up, huh? And, I'm also guessing that if I tried anything funny, you're not going to think twice about making mincemeat out of me...not that I can try anything considering that, for some reason, I can't use my powers."_

_"It must be stuffy in that outfit." was the next set of words that came out of his mouth when she still didn't bother to speak with him. "Don't you and your crew ever feel sticky in that outfit?"_

_As Daniel kept on talking with her, not minding that she wasn't being a good conversationist, Dana wondered why he was talking with the enemy. Was he gauging her just like she was gauging him? Was he just trying to make her feel that he wasn't a threat—not that he currently was—so he could surprise her? She, honestly, couldn't tell and it frustrated her._

_"Are you an android or something? A robot? Can. You. Understand. What. I'm. Saying?" Daniel went on, enunciating his last sentence. It made her want to pulverize him. And, it surprised her that she didn't do so._

_"I am not a moron." Dana was forced to reply, gritting her teeth behind the mask that covered her face._

_"Oh, good. You can talk." Daniel's voice was starting to sound as close to normal as was possible under his condition. "I thought all you could do was stand there and stare at me."_

_"I can do more than that." Dana replied. "Your face is proof enough."_

_Daniel then touched his face and grimaced. "Huh, so you really are one of the guys who beat me up."_

_Silence was Dana's reply. After a few seconds, before she could get a hold of herself, she asked, "Why is it that you seem so indifferent at being captured? Why are you not worried that you could be facing your death? Why aren't you trying to escape?"_

_Daniel looked at her, though she doubted he could see any emotion from her. Not with the mask or without it._

_Then he shrugged, winced, and said, "Those are a lot of questions to suddenly ask me. It's not that I'm not worried. I am. But I am also looking forward to meeting The Prayer face-to-face. I've wanted to pay him back for what he did to my parents, after all. And, as for why I'm not trying to escape...well, like you said, you can do a lot more damage to me if I did something as stupid like that. Should escape come, it won't be by my doing. You can bet on that."_

_"You think that Khadagh is going to try and rescue you." It wasn't a question. She and the others were hoping for that, too. They didn't want to leave him behind under that sealed hole with only Willy and Emma to guard it, but they didn't have a choice, Undinogh told them to do so and...as per their contract, they had no choice but to comply. She couldn't understand why, though._

_"I don't think he will." Daniel answered. "I _know _he will." _

_"You have far too much faith in your friends. Khadagh doesn't deserve to have that much faith placed on him." _

_A small smile escaped Daniel's bloody lips. "Maybe. But, perhaps you're not giving him enough credit, Dana."_

_Hearing him say her name with such certainty surprised Dana. _

_"H-how—?" _

_"How did I know it was you?" Daniel finished for her before answering, "There's only one person in this world who can block my powers, who can keep me from using it. And that's you. Of course, I only learned about that a while back. And, judging from your expression, I guess I hit the mark." He paused before continuing, "If you're here, then that would mean that Willy, Emma, and Joe are here as well and that it was the four of you who spearheaded the attack back at the red planet."_

_"That is correct," Dana answered, not seeing any point in keeping her and the others' identity a secret any longer._

_"Well, this is rather unexpected." Daniel said. "I'm not sure if Khadagh knows you guys are here but I'm pretty sure he's going to be glad. Though, judging from how much you guys beat us up, he wouldn't be _that_ glad."_

_"You and Khadagh deserve far more punishment than that."_

_"W-What? Why?" Daniel asked. "Wait, don't tell me it's because he failed to rescue you and the others from Ergent Seth!"_

_"That's exactly why!" Shouted Dana. "We kept on waiting for him to come for us, but he didn't. We had thought he was killed only to learn that he had, instead, decided to jump ship and head to this timeplane instead."_

_"But—"_

_"You have no idea what we had to endure because of him. Death won't be enough. If we can erase his existence, then we will do so. Only then will our thirst for vengeance be satiated. And you! You are him. You two are the same!"_

_"No! We're not." Daniel tried to argue, but Dana would have none of it._

_Dana then went towards him, took him by the collar of his shirt and pushed him so hard in the wall that he thought his spinal cord was going to break. She kept on doing it, Daniel tried to keep himself conscious through it all. As Dana went from slamming him into the wall to punching and kicking him, shouting curses at him as she did so, Daniel tried to tell her that he and the other Daniel were not the same. The only similarity they had was that they both didn't know that the others were alive, that they both thought they had all perished from Ergent Seth's attack._

_He didn't know if Dana heard him. He didn't know if his words reached her. He could only hope that it did, as he sank back into unconsciousness, his body having taken more than enough beating._

* * *

><p>"They will pay for making us look like fools." Willy said, causing Dana to snap out of her reverie. Looking at the monitor that Willy was staring at, she saw that they had almost arrived.<p>

"Yes, they will." Emma nodded in agreement. "It surprising that Khadagh thought of using copies of us to rescue that other Daniel."

"Not too surprising," Joe replied, pushing his glasses back, "If you ask me it was one of the possibilities. After all, we did hear that he and this Daniel know how to create versions of us from their imagination."

"True." Dana decided to join the conversation. "But, something about what that other Daniel told me doesn't make sense."

"Forget what that maggot said." Willy barked. "He's probably trying to mess up your mind with his lies. We can't have you spacing out on us, Dana..."

"I know." Dana replied, sounding annoyed. "It's not my fault that he managed to break free from my seal."

"Now, now, no fighting amongst ourselves." Emma admonished. "We have to focus on wiping both Daniel X's from existence. After all, this whole army is counting on our leadership."

Dana looked at the monitor that Emma was gesturing at, and sure enough, the army that The Prayer and Undinogh had given them were following their fleet and with their numbers, there was no way their enemies will win, much less survive.


	15. Those Who Are Pursued

**A Daniel X Fanfic **

**by Sakura Martinez**

* * *

><p><strong>Disclaimer: <strong>

I do not own Daniel X, or the characters in that story. James Patterson own the rights for them. What I do own is the idea for the fanfic and this fanfic itself.

* * *

><p><strong>Summary: <strong>

After surviving Void's Game, being reunited with his _drang_, and learning the truth about Void, Daniel X leaves with Khadagh to prepare for the imminent battle between Number One and Two. But when both Daniel and Khadagh disappears, The Prayer begins his revenge, seeking the aid of a mysterious group. Now, it's a race against time our heroes to put a stop to The Prayer's latest scheme before it's too late and it will take everything in their power to do so.

* * *

><p><strong>Daniel X: Out of Time <strong>

**Chapter Fourteen**

**Those Who Are Pursued**

* * *

><p>A new day was dawning. In more ways than one, today was going to bring forth a start of something 'new'. What that 'something' was, we didn't really know but we hoped that it would be the start of a rebellion. Because, no matter how you look at it, it was what we were trying to create—a rebellion. After all, The Prayer had long held the entire universe in the palm of his...well, I was going to say 'in the palm of his hands' but The Prayer doesn't really have hands, right? Claws, maybe. But hands, no.<p>

All of us were in good spirits. We didn't really know how he did it, but Khadagh managed to make the entire Varjian race agree to be a part of the upcoming battle. Not just Nocta. What's more, it seems that they are also leaning on joining us in our cause to put an end to The Prayer's rule of terror, that they were really going to be a part of the effort and not just sitting in the sidelines supporting us like those cheerleaders from Terrafirma.

Of course, that wasn't the only thing that was making us hopeful. After all, having the Verjians join us wasn't the only good news we have. I have also managed to break the seal that kept Daniel's powers locked up. Though there are still some parts of the seal at work, he had regained his most important and powerful ability—creating things from his imagination.

When I managed to somehow do it, I was stunned and I was the only one who was. Everyone was expecting that I would be able to do it, not just Daniel. It was an overwhelming feeling, to know just how much faith they have in you, so much so that they didn't doubt that you would pull through.

I smiled, so caught up in that memory that I didn't notice that Daniel had crept up on me until he decided to act like a little kid and jumped at me to scare me. It worked. But he did end up thrown back and landing on his back when I used my powers against him.

"Ouch," Daniel said as he laid in the sand, the heat no longer bothering us all that much compared to when we first arrived. "You didn't have to throw me back."

"It's your fault for scaring me like that," I huffed as I walked towards him, intent on helping him up.

Daniel took my hand and as I pulled him up, said, "Remind me never to jump at you again."

He then frowned. His gaze so far away that I turned around expecting to see signs of an incoming attack, but there was none. We were the only ones out of the house. Well, except for Joe and Emma who were both doting over something a bit of a ways away from us.

"What is it?" I asked.

The question seemed to have surprised Daniel because he quickly shook his head and turned to look at me, "It's nothing. I was just thinking about something."

A questioning look was enough to make him expound on his answer. "It's just...when I was captured, I don't remember the other you using her telekinetic powers on me. Even when they were beating me up, she used every method of fighting dirty but she never once used that on me. It made me wonder why. After all, there was no way the reason for that could be because she was holding back."

I thought about it for a while, wondering the same thing that he was. From what Daniel had told me our other selves really wanted to put an end to both his and Khadagh's existence and, even though they were under orders not to kill him yet, there was no way they would pass an opportunity to hurt him even more up. I knew my powers well enough—well, to an extent—to know that I can add and subtract the amount of force I use on my "psychic powers" and if I were—or rather, if it was the me that I am now—who was doing those things to Daniel, I wouldn't have thought twice about whether or not I would use my telekinesis on him because without I doubt I would have.

And then it hit me. A probable reason as to why she didn't use it on him.

"She couldn't." I said to Daniel.

"Huh? She couldn't what?"

"The other me, It's not that she wouldn't use it on you, but she couldn't use telekinesis on you."

"What are you talking about? How could you—the other you—not be able to use it?" Daniel X, clearly not being able to quickly follow nor see where my logic has taken me.

"Remember when Khadagh was telling you about his past?" I asked and when Daniel nodded, I went on and said, "He told you—us—that when he kept using that weapon, he lost his ability to create the versions of us that you used to create back when you didn't know we were still alive. And because of that, he went down on a wild downward spiral that caused him to be reckless. Maybe that other me did something that made her lose the ability to use telekinesis. It's either that or that we both developed very different kinds of powers, our only similarity being able to seal yours."

Daniel's eyes once again held a faraway look in them and I knew he was thinking about it.

A couple of seconds passed and he nodded, "That does make sense." He then smiled and added, "At any rate, I do hope that that's the case. The lesser the variety of powers and abilities we can use, the better."

"Right," I nodded. "Still, it feels weird that we're talking about me—the other me, at least—like this."

"I know what you mean," laughed Daniel. Then he motioned towards the direction of where Joe and Emma were pushing each other around. "What's up with those two?"

"Who? Emma and Joe-Joe?" I asked, even though I already knew who he was talking about.

"Yeah." A small smile played on his lips. "It's really strange, you know, how different Joe and Emma are from the Joe and Emma that I had grown accustomed to being with—the ones I created from my imagination and memory, I mean. I wouldn't have thought Emma would have it in her to be as out-going as that...or for Joe to be a bit...geeky."

I couldn't help but laugh at that. "What do you expect? What you had as a basis for us had been memories of when we were little kids. People change, Daniel. We grow up and our lives and experiences change us to who we are now and who we will be in the future."

"I guess so."

As Daniel said those words, Wally suddenly stepped out of the house. He waved at us and was about to head over to our direction when he spotted Emma and Joe and, instead of heading on over, he went to them instead. Neither Emma nor Joe noticed him approaching so they kept on joking around with each other. They only stopped when Willy hit Joe at the back of his head. After that, well, an argument ensued between Emma and her brother. Though they were shouting, we couldn't hear what they were saying to each other.

Daniel chuckled as he watched Joe slowly backing away from Willy.

"I suppose I don't need to ask what's between those two. Willy's reaction is enough to validate my hunch."

I nudged him, "Don't tease Joe about it, though."

"Who do you think I am, Dana? Of course I wouldn't tease him." He smirked then added, "Not that much."

* * *

><p>"We've spotted the enemy fleet," Khadagh informed us. "It seems that they plan to go all out against us. The only fleet missing is The Prayer's and Undinogh's."<p>

"Both Undinogh's?" Joe asked the same time that Willy did which earned him a death glare.

Khadagh looked at the old man beside him who was hidden behind a hood and a robe. The old man nodded and I was expecting Khadagh to tell us that the two Undinogh's were indeed with the massive army that was coming our way. Instead, what Khadagh said was, "We're not sure if they are there or not. What we are certain of is that their _fleet_ not with amongst those that are heading our way."

"So, what now?" came Daniel's question.

"Now, we let the Varijians finish their preparations." Khadagh answered. "Emma, Joe, Willy, I trust mingling with them wouldn't be a problem?"

"Of course not." Emma replied even before Joe and Willy could. She sounded so enthused and I guess I couldn't blame her. She's been studying the Varijians with Joe.

"That's good to hear." Khadagh nodded. "No objections from you two?"

"None that you would listen to." Willy replied.

"Nope." Joe answered at the same time.

Khadagh stared blankly at them as Daniel and I tried our best not to laugh. Willy had never been so annoyed with Joe as he was then.

Then Khadagh turned to face us. "While they're doing their part, we have to create that portal. Even though Daniel has already regained his powers, we still need you to boost it up so that the portal created would be big enough to swallow anyone and everyone who doesn't belong in this time..."

I nodded as I tried my best not to look frightened or worried about failure. I suppose I managed to do a good job of it since no one asked me if I was alright or voiced out their faith in me and my ability.

After that, Khadagh discussed every bit of the plan with us again. The members of the Varijians who were with us, apart from the old man, I later learned were leaders of the various tribes that inhabit the planet and all of them had sworn to aid us. I couldn't see any signs of fear or worry in them...not that their faces showed any hint of emotions to begin with and I began to wonder if they were ready to meet death head-on should it come knocking on their door or if they believed that we would win without any casualties. My bet was with the former as no one in their right mind would think that we would all come out of this without a scratch or a dent in our numbers.

I looked on over at Notta, who was sitting on the other chair next to Daniel. She really had taken a great liking to him, and I couldn't blame her. The only time she showed any expression on her face was when she was looking at Daniel. It was a look of admiration and hero worship—a look that I couldn't help but wonder if Daniel ever notices. When she noticed me looking, I gave her a smile.

She didn't return it back.

* * *

><p>After the 'war meeting' ended, everyone went about their own business, preparing what was needed before we all head out. Khadagh had created two ships for us to use as we all agreed it would be better to leave the Bonadventure in Varjo rather than using it as one of our vessels. And, although Daniel had volunteered to create the other ship, Khadagh stopped him saying that he needed to focus on creating the portal and not divide his focus on the ships and the portal.<p>

When Daniel asked, "If it would be troublesome to divide my attention like that, then why are you going to do it?"

Khadagh's answer was, "Because I'm used to it. And, let's admit it, right now, I'm far stronger than you."

That ended the argument with Daniel fuming a little bit. He left before he could hear Daniel calling him a series of names that basically said Khadagh was a 'jackass'.

"He's right, though," I said after Daniel had finished. "You have to focus on the portal. If you had created one of the two ships, that would have divided your focus and it could either cause the portal not to open as it should or cause the ship to suddenly disappear under our feet."

"I guess, but he didn't have to rub the fact that I'm pretty much weaker than I was before again and again," he grumbled.

I merely nodded. When Daniel saw that I was still staring at the big monitor that Joe had put together, he joined me in watching our enemy's fleet getting closer to Varjo.

Daniel let out a soft whistle, "There's a lot of them."

"Yeah."

"How are we supposed to control the portal? We can't just send every last one of them through the portal. That would cause far too much chaos on that other timeplane."

I didn't bother answering that question, knowing that Daniel was only voicing out his thoughts. But he was right to ask such a question. Although Khadagh had told us what we have to do—no, what we _needed_ to do—he didn't tell us how we would manage to do it under such circumstance. It would not do us any good if we ended up sucking every last one of our enemies into that other timeline. Because, even if we did save ourselves, that "alternate universe" would be decimated. Who knows what consequence that would bring upon us?

"That's why we needed two ships," Willy said, surprising both Daniel and I. We didn't hear him enter the room, which was strange considering that Willy doesn't exactly walk like a ninja. "While the Varjians are causing problems to the other ships in their fleet, Emma, Joe and I will try to lure the ship that has our alternate selves towards you guys. Though how, exactly, that would work out, we won't know for sure."

"Huh, I didn't know that." Daniel said the same thing that was on my mind.

"I just found out a couple of minutes ago, actually," Willy sighed, then he shook his head. "For some reason, Khadagh didn't want the Varjians to know about that. Any idea why, Daniel?"

"Wha-Why are you asking me that?" Daniel asked. "How should I know what goes on in his mind?"

"I was about to argue that he _is _you but I'd rather not." Willy shrugged. "Anyways, I just came to wish you guys luck. Our team is about to head out."

Daniel nodded, his demeanor suddenly was different than it was a couple of seconds ago.

We accompanied Willy to where the Khadagh had summoned the ship that they would be using—which looked very much like the Bonadventure. Emma was the only one there waiting as Khadagh was talking with the leaders of the Varjian tribes for some final preparations.

I didn't wait for Daniel or Willy. Upon seeing Emma, I immediately ran towards her and gave her a hug...which, I guess, surprised her.

"Be careful and stay safe, okay?" I asked as I pulled myself away.

Emma smiled, "I should be the one telling you that. Though I would probably add 'stay sane' to that, you are going to be stuck with Daniel and Khadagh for a while, after all."

I couldn't help laughing at that. She had a point. Though Daniel and Khadagh had started to agree with a couple of things, they were still far from being completely pleasant with one another.

"I think I could manage a day or two," I replied.

We shared a smile and after a few more exchanges of "goodluck" and "stay safe"—with Joe unboarding the ship just to tell us that he had named it 'Bonadventure II' (to which Daniel commented on Joe being unoriginal)—we watched as they, along with the Varjians who didn't need to use any ships or spacesuits, blasted off.

"We don't have much time to dilly-dally," Khadagh said as he walked towards us. "Our ship's ready. We have lest than twenty-four hours to create that portal and make sure that it leads straight to my time."

Daniel and I both nodded before we followed Khadagh to the other ship.


	16. Stranded

**A Daniel X Fanfic **

**by Sakura Martinez**

* * *

><p><strong>Disclaimer: <strong>

I do not own Daniel X, or the characters in that story. James Patterson own the rights for them. What I do own is the idea for the fanfic and this fanfic itself.

* * *

><p><strong>Summary: <strong>

After surviving Void's Game, being reunited with his _drang_, and learning the truth about Void, Daniel X leaves with Khadagh to prepare for the imminent battle between Number One and Two. But when both Daniel and Khadagh disappears, The Prayer begins his revenge, seeking the aid of a mysterious group. Now, it's a race against time our heroes to put a stop to The Prayer's latest scheme before it's too late and it will take everything in their power to do so.

* * *

><p><strong>Daniel X: Out of Time <strong>

**Chapter Fifteen**

**Stranded**

* * *

><p>Twenty-four hours seemed like a long enough time for Khadagh to teach Daniel how to open up a portal through a specific time. As far as Daniel had told us, the only time he managed to travel through time was by making use of portals that were created before-hand. He had never created a portal for himself, much less a big one, and to an alternate timeline to boot. Of course he told Khadagh that. But Khadagh was confident that Daniel would learn how to do it. His lone argument on the matter was Daniel's IQ and how he—the other Daniel from that alternate universe—had managed to do it.<p>

Of course, five hours into Daniel's crash course on Time Portals 101 without any hint of progress on his part, made Khadagh question just how far apart in terms of ability he and Daniel were.

"This is why I told you to teach him about it while we were waiting for the Varjians to make their decision." I told a very exasperated Khadagh as he and Daniel took a break.

"How was I to know that he would be this...incompetent with using his powers to control time?" Khadagh answered back.

To which Daniel retorted, "Hey, Khadagh, here's a thought: maybe the reason why I can't do it is because...your teaching methods suck!"

Khadagh turned around and reiterated that it was all Daniel's fault and not his. And their bickering continued.

_And here I thought that Emma was joking when she wished for me to stay sane. It hasn't even been half a day yet and they're already driving me insane!_

"Alright, that's enough, guys!" I finally couldn't take it and decided to butt-in on their argument. "You're both just wasting time with this bickering."

Even with those words, both of them either did not hear me or chose not to.

It didn't sit well with me.

So, what did I do? I used my powers against them. Not my sealing powers, mind you. Using that on them would only cause a lot more trouble. I used my telekinesis on them, letting them dangle a couple of feet in the air. Sure enough, that surprised both of them and caused them to turn their attention to me.

"What do you think you're doing, Dana?" Khadagh asked. "Put me down this instant!"

"Really, Dana?" was what Daniel said. "This is a bit childish, don't you think?"

"Childish?" I couldn't believe what Daniel had said, having chosen to first listen and comment to him than listen to Khadagh demanding and threatening me. "I'll tell you what's childish, Daniel: arguing with Khadagh when we're all running out of time to prepare. That's what's childish...not to mention stupid." I then turned to Khadagh and said, "And you...maybe you should try a different kind of mentoring than what you're doing. Use Daniel's strengths in teaching him what he needs to know, rather than verbally abusing him like that. And both of you really need to stop being jerks to one another."

After my short rant, silence filled the room in the ship that we were using as I turned around and resumed my meditation.

After a couple of minutes had passed, Khadagh asked, "If we promised to try _not_ to argue with one another, will you let us down?"

I chose not to answer that, letting his words hang in the air longer than was necessary.

"Oh, come on, Dana. I'm sorry I said that." Daniel then pleaded, "Can you _please_ let us down already. You're the one who's making us lose precious time now, you know."

I sighed. He was right. Without looking back at them, and without any ceremony, I dumped them back down. Both of them landed with a grunt.

"Next time, remind me to be more specific." Daniel said.

Khadagh, however, didn't say a word with how I let them down. I should have known that that was a sign that he was up to something. I should also have known not to say things without thinking because what happened several minutes later was something I didn't expect and was something born from my suggestion of using 'Daniel's strengths'…

Because the next thing I knew I was suddenly standing and Khadagh was holding my arm behind my back.

"W-what do you think you're doing?" I asked, furious.

Without looking at me, he answered, "What do you think? I'm just following your suggestion." Then to Daniel, who was just as surprised and angry as I was, he said, "It seems that I forgot that experience is the best teacher for you. And, what better way for you to learn how to use your time-travelling powers at will than to force you to use it to save someone you truly care about?"

"Khadagh..." I growled, because I have the strangest feeling that I knew what he was planning and I didn't like it. Not one bit.

The last thing I heard was Khadagh taunting Daniel saying, "Tick-tock, Daniel X."

* * *

><p>I was awoken by something wet and sticky running up and down my left cheek.<p>

Forcing my eyes to open, I found myself face-to-face with a dog. A giant dog. A Golden Retriever who wagged its tail when I slowly sat down. It looked happy to see me awake, though I wonder why. I have never owned a dog in my life and the only time I ever came close to one was when I returned to Terrafirma with Daniel, back before Khadagh returned and took him away for training. For a while my mind blanked trying to figure out what had happened.

When I took a good look at where I was at, I was even more at a lost. It was not a place I had been to but...it was a familiar place, but I couldn't remember why the place looked familiar.

The dog continued to vie for my attention, I finally gave in and began playing with it, scratching him behind his ears earning a content sound to bubble up from inside him and soon he had laid down on the ground, exposing his belly for me to rub. I obliged as I continued to look around.

And that was when it hit me, where the familiarity was coming from.

The house, the field, everything that I was seeing was familiar because of Daniel. It was _his_ house I was looking at.

I stood up so suddenly that the dog also jumped in surprise before whining as if asking me why I had stopped playing with him.

"But, that can't be..." I muttered to myself, completely disbelieving what I was seeing. "Daniel's house...it was torched down. Daniel never said he rebuilt it...Why is it standing as though nothing bad had happened. Unless—"

And that was when I actually remembered what had happened to me.

"Khadagh!" I couldn't help but his with as much venom in my voice as I could muster.

My outburst caused the dog to bark and it was my turn to be surprised. Of course, more than surprise, I was worried being sent back in time without a way back unless Daniel learns to fully control his time travelling powers and open a portal here or unless Khadagh rescues me. Of course, if Khadagh does end up being the one to come for me, I will make sure to introduce my fist to his face.

* * *

><p>The dog continued to keep me company as I made sure to stay as far as I could away from Daniel's house. It was not that I was afraid to see Daniel's parents, but I was afraid that they would see me. I wasn't sure if they would recognize me, but, that would pose a problem as whatever I might say—and I might say a couple of things—could alter what happens in the past and affect the future. It was a taboo, after all, and I couldn't let that happen. We were already buried deep with problems because of all the time travelling that had occurred.<p>

And so, the company of the dog was all that I had. Though the dog was a good company, I still had another problem I needed to deal with: I needed a place to hide out in.

I didn't feel confident about Daniel being able to rescue me in this time so soon. After all, he still had a couple of roadblocks with his powers he needed to fix. And I doubt Khadagh would come and get me without having made sure that Daniel couldn't do it himself...which is why it was only fair of me to think that I would be staying in the past for quite a while.

I found a good place to wait in a shed not too far from the house, but far enough that I figured no one from that house would go there. It wasn't a five-star hotel, but it was good enough to serve its purpose. Even the dog liked it. Though, dogs didn't seem to have such high standards when it comes to places they could crash the night in.

I looked at the dog, who was looking back at me expectantly, still wagging its tail.

"Well, it seems like we have a lot of waiting to do, boy," I saw, ruffling the dog's fur. The dog barked, as if he understood what I was saying. "How long do you suppose it would take for Daniel to come and get me? Four hours? Five? I doubt Khadahg would let him take that long. Though, I wonder why he chose to send me here. This is, like, the worst place he could possibly send someone. There's so many things I could do that would change the course of history over here...not that I am thinking of doing that."

Another bark followed by the _thump-thump_ of the dog's tail as it swayed left and right, hitting the wooden floor. I shook my head thinking how dogs have an easy life.

* * *

><p>I wasn't sure how I could have possibly fallen asleep without a bed in that shed. Then again, having lived holed up in a cell while being held prisoner by Ergent Seth is nothing compared to finding yourself in such a cramped space. But, how I could have slept was beside the point. The point was, I was suddenly awaken by a loud explosion. The dog—whom I started to call 'Sparky'—also jumped in surprise, giving a yelp as he did so.<p>

The explosion rocked me, so much so that sleep was quickly driven away. I was immediately up on my feet, running to the door. What I saw when I opened the door was something I had a feeling I would be seeing but, even so, I was still shocked to see it.

The sky was bathed in a fiery glow as Daniel's house burned. There was no longer any sign of The Prayer, all I could see, from where I was, was a silhouette of a little boy on the ground, his arms working up and down, pounding the ground as if all the anger, the sadness, the lost, and frustration he was feeling would fade away with such an action.

My hand shot to cover my mouth as my eyes began to water. I knew how it had happened and, although I knew what he had felt back then, my heart still ached to see the sight before me.

I was so engrossed at what was before me that I didn't notice anything else until someone spoke behind me.

"Even though so much time has passed, remembering this and seeing it again...it still pains me," he said. I whirled around to face Daniel, both surprised and glad to see him there...at the same time, I was sad and angry that he had to see it again...see his old life slowly burning to ash. He smiled sadly at me, then said, "Sorry I took a while. This time-travelling stuff is really hard.'

"Oh, Daniel, I'm sorry," I said, running to him and hugging him as tightly as I could—without hurting him, of course.

"Why are you apologizing?" He asked, certainly surprised by my outburst. "I should be the one apologizing to you."

"If I hadn't said that to Khadagh, he wouldn't have gotten the idea to bring me here to force you to use your powers then you wouldn't have had to come here and see this again." I replied, my head still buried on his shoulders.

"That doesn't mean that it's your fault why we're both here now." Daniel said, trying his best to calm me down and stop me from crying. "This place...I am always brought back to this place whether I like it or not. This is part of my past, Dana...I can't change that...well, I can, but I choose not...not for my own selfish reasons. I think...I may also have an idea why he decided to bring you here knowing that there is a chance that it would take me this long to get to you."

"What do you mean?"

"Like I've said: this is part of me, a part of my past. What happened here contributed to the force that drove me to become the Alien Hunter that I became." Daniel shook his head. "This place is my strength...and also my weakness. Khadagh knows that because he is me, and The Prayer knows it, too. Sooner or later he is going to use this against me and I think Khadagh has been trying to keep me from losing it should The Prayer, or any of my enemies, decided to taunt me with an image of my family's death."

"But, even so, this is really hard. Seeing this place again...and seeing this happening before my eyes again. Khadagh wanted to remind me about how difficult it could be and...maybe because he also hoped that I would get here sooner. At least, soon enough so that I would have been able to see my father and mother again." Daniel then gave a small laugh. "He didn't just send you here to force me to rescue you or for him to show you this as well. He sent me here to remind me of the things that I lost and the things that I still stand to lose, Dana."

I see, as my the tears began to slowly ebb away, that Daniel was trying his best not to cry himself; no to lose himself to the dark feelings that boil within him. He was trying to bottle-up his feelings, to hide them from me. I knew that he was as shaken as I was, maybe even more.

Without thinking, I hugged him tighter and said, "You don't have to force yourself to hide it, Daniel."

"What are you—?"

"Don't hide your feelings. Don't keep them bottle up inside. You can cry, too. I won't think any less of you. Just let it all out and stop beating yourself up with it."

"Dana..." there was a slight pause before he returned back my hug and I felt his whole body shake and the tears streamed down his face.

I knew then that the things Daniel said weren't the only reason why Khadagh chose this time and place. He also wanted Daniel to let go and keep himself from turning into the other Daniel—Khadagh, himself.

* * *

><p><em>Slap!<em>

The sound of the palm of my hand connecting with Khadagh's face echoed through the room that we were in as I made good with my promise to pay him back for what he did to me as soon as Daniel and I returned to the present time and back at the Bonadventure.

Khadagh didn't seem faced by it. Daniel, however, was surprised.

"That," I spat, "is for sending me to that place."

"I...deserved that, I think." Khadagh said, rubbing his left cheek which had started to turn red. "But, you have to admit, Dana, that it _did_ we managed to bring that power and control out of Daniel just in time, too."

"I know that, that's why I just resorted to slapping your face. Otherwise, Khadagh, I promise you, I would have done a lot worse."

Khadagh nodded. He knew I wasn't lying. I made sure to tell him that it wasn't just an idle threat.


	17. Out of Time, Part One

**A Daniel X Fanfic **

**by Sakura Martinez**

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Notes:<strong>

****Well, here is the next chapter in this fanfic. I'm really sorry about the delay. I had been busy, what with my book being published (finally!). I would've uploaded this chapter last week but things had been pretty hectic. Anyways, I'll try to update again soon. For now, I hope you guys enjoy this chapter!

* * *

><p><strong>Disclaimer: <strong>

I do not own Daniel X, or the characters in that story. James Patterson own the rights for them. What I do own is the idea for the fanfic and this fanfic itself.

* * *

><p><strong>Summary: <strong>

After surviving Void's Game, being reunited with his _drang_, and learning the truth about Void, Daniel X leaves with Khadagh to prepare for the imminent battle between Number One and Two. But when both Daniel and Khadagh disappears, The Prayer begins his revenge, seeking the aid of a mysterious group. Now, it's a race against time our heroes to put a stop to The Prayer's latest scheme before it's too late and it will take everything in their power to do so.

**Daniel X: Out of Time**

**Chapter Sixteen**

**Out of Time, Part One**

* * *

><p>"We've engaged the enemy," came Willy's voice through the ship's communication relay. "They're not kidding with this force they sent after us."<p>

"That's to be expected," Khadagh replied.

"How's the portal going?"

I saw Khadagh turn to look at Daniel, whose eyes were shut in concentration, keeping the portal open. Then he looked at me. Though I was started to feel fatigued, beads of sweat appearing on my forehead, my neck, my arms and my back, I was still pushing strong. I nodded to let him know just that.

"Going strong," Khadagh replied. "I'm working on hiding it now, to keep _them _from suspecting what we have up our sleeves."

"Well, you have to work faster on that, Khadagh," Joe suddenly spoke up. "We're already coming your way."

* * *

><p>"<em>Nggh!<em>" Daniel's concentration was becoming strained. Khadagh and I both know that he had been holding on to it for a long while now. "How...much longer...before they get here?"

He wasn't the only one on the brink of exhaustion, though. "It won't be long now, Daniel. We have to keep this up for just a little while longer."

"Easier said...than done." Daniel panted.

"But we have to do it anyway." Khadagh said as he resumed his own work, easing a little bit of burden from Daniel and I. "Just a couple of minutes more. Just keep it up, Daniel."

Daniel could only nod as he closed his eyes again, pushing his powers just to keep the portal open.

It really was surprising when minutes after Daniel and I had returned to the present time, after Khadagh pulled that stunt, that Khadagh also decided to start the portal. I had thought that he would allow Daniel to rest for a couple of minutes, at least. But, Khadagh didn't let him and neither did Daniel argue when he was put to work. I have no idea what happened between those two while I was gone, but it was the first time that I actually saw cooperation without bickering between them. It was really surprising.

But, now that we are actually trying to keep the portal open and at the same time trying to keep our enemies from guessing our plan, I began to wonder if it was such a good idea to go at this without letting both Khadagh and Daniel rest.

The portal that both Daniel and Khadagh had created—and that I am helping them maintain—was already as big as the biggest ship that the Varjans had reported to us. It was only a matter of keeping it open and hidden until the enemy arrives. But, how Khadagh actually plan on sending them—and himself, for he had told us that he plans to completely close the gate we opened, as well as the other gate, from there—inside the portal...well, I could only speculate. He hadn't shared that information with us...not yet, anyway.

I looked over at Khadagh. He didn't look all that worried and I wondered if he actually believed whatever he is planning would work and that it will, or what I was seeing was merely a façade. I wanted to ask but this Daniel wasn't someone I could trust to give me a straight answer.

Our communication unit buzzed again before Willy spoke on the other end, "Nearing your location in a minute. I hope your stealth system's already activated, Khadagh."

"And your shields, too. These guys are pretty hostile. Our shields' already under 50-percent!" Emma added.

"Don't worry about us," Khadagh replied, even though I was pretty worried about us. "Everything is already in order. As soon as you I give the signal, you guys speed as far away as you can. Got it?"

"No need to tell us that." Willy replied.

Within seconds we caught our first real glance at the ship that held our 'other' selves—those people from the same timeplane as Khadagh. The ship really was big and it didn't look like any ships I have seen in my life—and I have seen quite a number of them all thanks to Khadagh. Their weapons and even the material with which the ship was made looked like it came from a different era all-together.

The Bonadventure II spiraled and weaved as it tried to evade the energy beams that the enemy ship threw at it. I held my breath in anticipation for what would happen as soon as they get close enough to the portal, as well as fear for our safety and the safety of my friends.

As they drew nearer and nearer, Khadagh positioned the ship, ready for the phase two of his plan.

"Daniel, you know what you have to do, right?" Khadagh asked as the clock quickly winded down to the "moment of truth".

Daniel opened his eyes and looked over at the direction where Khadagh was sitting.

He nodded, "I know what I have to do, Khadagh."

"Can you do it, though?" he asked.

"I can." was all Daniel answered.

I was confused as to what they were talking about and why they were leaving me out of it. But, I couldn't call them out on it. They have their reasons, I was sure of it.

Khadagh nodded.

The moment that the Bonadventure II zoomed at our hiding place, the two ships switched places as Khadagh gunned the ship forward and Willy eased their ship to hide. It was so quick and so incognito that the enemy ship didn't notice anything different and I understood then why Khadagh made two identical ships: it was to fool our enemy into thinking that they were pursuing only one ship and that that ship all held us inside it.

"Hold on tight." Khadagh instructed us as he maneuvered the ship like a maniac evading the enemy ship's attacks. He was pretty good with it but, I swear I was about to throw up by the time we arrived at the location of the portal.

"Are you trying to get me to lose focus, Khadagh?" Daniel asked, annoyed. He was at the brink of losing his concentration.

But Khadagh didn't say anything in retort. His eyes blazed with focus as we closed the gap between us and the portal. It was only seconds before we were about to be sucked in when I realized something: we—Daniel and I—were still on the ship!

But, even before I could ask Daniel what was going on—why we were still there—Khadagh suddenly shouted, "Now!"

The ship then lurched forward, the enemy ship pursuing us matched our speed as well and then Daniel suddenly tackled me as the lights on the ship began to go haywire as it slowly was sucked into the portal. The whole ship began to shake and I was afraid that it would suddenly be destroyed by the force that pulling us in. I didn't know what happened next, all I knew was there was a sudden flash of light and then...nothing.

* * *

><p>Lightweight.<p>

That was what I felt. Like I was being carried by ocean waves...or floating in a hyperbolic anti-gravity chamber.

Though I was curious as to why I was feeling that way, my mind muddled by sleep, I chose not to open my eyes. The way I drifted was lulling me to sleep, and I welcomed it. I needed sleep. I felt so tired, so much so that I couldn't even remember when was the last time I actually fell in a comfortable sleep.

And then the shaking came. Let me tell you, it annoyed me. It wouldn't stop even as I tried to shoo it away, it only got worse.

_Go away!_ I wanted to tell it, but it felt so heavy to even try to move my lips. _Let me sleep. I'm tired_.

"a..a! W..e...up!" a voice soon spoke, sounding distant and a bit muted.

The voice kept on saying the same thing, and then I would feel the shaking afterwards. This kept on going for a while before I finally got fed up and opened my eyes.

What greeted me was a sight that quickly made me remember what had happened...or, at least, what I remember happening before I passed out: Daniel's face was mere inches from mine, the only thing keeping our faces from touching was the helmet of the spacesuit he was wearing. He was carrying me as we floated in the silence of space.

He sighed as relief rushed to his features, followed by a smile. "Finally, you're awake. I was worried for a moment there."

I blinked, "W-What happened? Did we do it?"

For a moment, something flashed in Daniel's eyes. It was so quick, I didn't get to have a good look at it to be able to tell what that was, before he nodded and answered, "We did. The ship that had your alternate selves was sucked in...so was Khadagh. But, it seems we made a slight...miscalculation."

"What?" I asked so suddenly and so loudly that Daniel cringed. Without the helmets, I would have shouted right at his face in surprise. "What do you mean 'miscalculation'?"

Beads of sweat started forming on Daniel's brow and I knew that whatever these 'miscalculations' are, they weren't slight.

"Daniel?" There was a hint of warning in my voice, a warning that if he doesn't tell me what was going on, he was going to regret it.

"Okay, okay. Don't look at me that way." Daniel finally gave in. "Um, first off, you _might_ be wondering why we are floating in space..."

"Yes, that was one of the things I am expecting you to explain to me." I replied, wanting so much to add a 'duh!' at the end.

"Well, Khadagh and I had both agreed that we wouldn't be using the escape pods since that would be dangerous to escape the portal. So, we sort of decided that I would just take us to a different place and time...which was supposed to be a couple of minutes after the ships entered the portal." Daniel explained. "So, there will, sort of be, only a couple of minutes where we don't exist in our timeline."

"Why do I have a feeling that this is not going to be good." I sighed. Then asked, "And this 'miscalculation'?"

"We sort of didn't put into account how well I would be able to pull a stunt like that under the circumstances that we were in." Daniel explained. "We didn't take into account what would happen if I force myself to go through with the plan when I am already strained and...we sort of forgot that you were amplifying my powers."

"I am really starting to feel that whatever you're going to say next is going to be really, _really_ bad, Daniel..."

Daniel took a deep breath before he finally said, "I _accidentally_ sent us much farther in time."

"How much farther?"

"Five years? Give or take?" Daniel replied, smiling sheepishly.

"Five years!" I exclaimed. That wasn't a 'slight' miscalculation at all. Five years is quite a long time...especially under the circumstances we had.

"I said 'accidentally'. It's not like I meant for this to happen." Daniel defended himself. "There is also...um, one other thing."

I raised an eyebrow. _How much worse could it possibly get? _

"We were, kinda, sucked into the portal ourselves..."

And that was when I couldn't help myself and I hit him...though I wish I could have hit Khadagh as well. They both deserve it after messing something like that up.

* * *

><p>"Come on, Dana...I said I was sorry. It's not like I wanted this to happen..." Daniel continued to plead for my forgiveness. "We were short on time preparing for this, so..."<p>

"And why did you suppose I kept on telling you and Khadagh to prepare for this earlier?" I replied as Daniel and I continued to float through space, neither of us sure where we should be heading out to. We—or should I say Daniel—couldn't use his powers again to create a ship for us, not while he was still tired and drained.

"And I agreed with you, remember?" Daniel replied. "It was Khadagh who believed that we had enough time. Look, I'm sure we can go back as soon as I'm well-rested enough to try again. We won't be here for long."

"And if, by any chance, you can't bring us back? What then?"

"Then we try to find another way back." he answered as he caught up to me. I nodded, and he added, "Besides, think of it this way: we get to spend time alone together before we head back and wreak havoc on The Prayer and his forces."

I looked at him and saw that he was looking back at me with a grin on his face that I couldn't help the smile that found its way to my lips as well.

"This isn't what I'd expected you to try just to get the two of us alone," I said. "It's not even remotely romantic."

Daniel shrugged, flipping so that he was floating on his back, "Wait for a bit and I'll create something that will make this more romantic."


	18. Out of Time, Part Two

**A Daniel X Fanfic **

**by Sakura Martinez**

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Notes:<strong>

I apologize for not being able to upload the chapters as quickly as I could. As I have said, I was pretty busy with marketing my book (which is now available on Amazon, CreateSpace, and Smashwords...more info on my blog (check my author profile for the link) about that) that I didn't have time to upload the new chapters.

Rest assured I will upload more in the following days as I do intent to finish this, hopefully, before July...or, at least, before the month of July ends. Also, I'm not sure if I have explained it before—why the chapters are short, I mean. But, the reason for that is: I want to keep it in the same format-slash-length-and-whatnot as the books. And, even though it's been a while since Game Over was released (the actual book, not the fanfic I wrote), I am still annoyed with how decided to take the direction of the story to.

Anyways, enough about this overly-long Author's Notes. Hope you guys enjoy this new chapter. And please, don't forget to review. Okay?

* * *

><p><strong>Disclaimer: <strong>

I do not own Daniel X, or the characters in that story. James Patterson own the rights for them. What I do own is the idea for the fanfic and this fanfic itself.

* * *

><p><strong>Summary: <strong>

After surviving Void's Game, being reunited with his _drang_, and learning the truth about Void, Daniel X leaves with Khadagh to prepare for the imminent battle between Number One and Two. But when both Daniel and Khadagh disappears, The Prayer begins his revenge, seeking the aid of a mysterious group. Now, it's a race against time our heroes to put a stop to The Prayer's latest scheme before it's too late and it will take everything in their power to do so.

* * *

><p><strong>Daniel X: Out of Time <strong>

**Chapter Seventeen **

**Out of Time, Part Two**

* * *

><p>"Tell me again," I started as I firmly grabbed hold at the armrests of my place at the cockpit. "how did we end up in this mess?"<p>

"Now's really not the time to put me on a guilt-trip, Dana," Daniel replied, even though, truth be told, I wasn't really putting him on a guilt-trip. Well, not that much.

Daniel then turned the ship he had created, trying to out-maneuver the one that was pursuing us, but to no avail. Daniel wasn't as skilled with flying ships as Khadagh and Willy were...even though he said that he was quite an adept, what with all the adventures he had which involved him taking the helm. The ship, which he had created, zoomed past the debris and Daniel, while out-maneuvering our pursuers, also did his best to ensure that not one of those debris nicked our ship's shields. After all, when you're being pursued by a massive fleet that has ships that would make yours look like it came from the Stone Age, keeping your shields up and running is a must if you want to survive.

* * *

><p><em>12 hours ago...<em>

"You...have got to be...kidding me," I couldn't keep the surprise from my voice as I stared at the hologram that was displayed in the middle of the busy street.

Daniel had created a ship for us as soon as his powers had returned and had turned the auto-pilot on, inputting a command that allowed the ship to search for the nearest life-supporting planet. That planet was Sigma-G-21.

Both Daniel and I learned what to expect from that planet thanks to The List. According to its archives, Sigma-G-21 was a planet home for some incredibly technically-advanced race of aliens known as Cyborgians. Cyborgians, according to The List, were a race from which the Terra-Firman concept of Androids and Cyborgs originated from as they are similar to humans except for having bionic functions that allow them to synthesize with any piece of technology. It reminded me of Joe's Symbiote-computer and, quite frankly, if I didn't grow up with Joe and knew that he was an Alparian like me, I would have thought him part of this alien race.

According to The List, Cyborgians are also known for their expertise in militia and are known to be suppliers of alien weaponry in all the known universe. The List also told us that Alparians and Cyborgians had a treaty with each other in which our race supported theirs and vice-versa, but the treaty has not been in effect ever since the attack on Alpak Nor.

Which was why both Daniel and I expected them to be able to help us. Being technologically advanced would mean that they have some way of getting us back in our own timeline and being in a treaty with Alparians would meant that Sigma-G-21 would also provide us with a sanctuary against whatever enemies hunt our race in this time. But, when we got to our destination, what greeted us upon landing was a giant statue paying homage to our arch-nemesis, The Prayer.

"Don't gawk at it too much, Dana," Daniel warned me as he placed a hand on my elbow and dragged me as far away from the busy street and the monument as possible. "You're going to attract attention."

"B-But—!"

Daniel shook his head, "Obviously, things are different here than what The List tells us. Who knows how far in the future we are. That monument actually makes sense if you think about it."

And I did take a moment to think about it. Daniel was right, though he didn't seem to notice that I had come to that realization since he went on to say, "I don't exist in this timeline and who knows how long it had been since mom and dad took Khadagh away from here as well. Without an alien hunter to lead the fight against The Prayer, there's only one course history could take and that is with The Prayer gaining control over all known planets."

"And since Sigma-G-21 is a point of interest, it only makes sense that he captures this planet as well," I finished the thought for him. "He's going to need a place where he could get all the weapon supplies he needed."

"Right." Daniel nodded. He then inhaled and said, "I guess we now know where Undinogh and The Prayer got their new equipment from."

"You think our alternate selves brought this over to our time?" I asked, even though I already knew the answer to that question.

Before Daniel could answer, a loud siren blared all around us. Daniel and I immediately perked up, worried that such an alarm was caused by our presence. Both of us looked around trying to see if there were any guards that were running towards us. There was none, however. Every single person there, whether they were Cybrogians or aliens from another race, looked perfectly calm. As if the blaring sirens were a usual occurrence. None of them looked panicked. There wasn't anyone out in that street looking at us as if they found as suspicious—which, by the way, I felt we actually were. Suspicious, I mean.

Daniel and I looked at each other and, not knowing what else to do, we decided to play along and act like there was nothing strange going on. After a while the siren stopped. What followed was an audio broadcast that I added to my list of "Unexpected Things That Could Happen While We're In Khadagh's Timeline".

"Greetings, people of Sigma-G-21," Undinogh's voice echoed throughout and once he spoke, everyone stopped doing whatever it was they are doing and stood perfectly still. It was disconcertingly eerie. "The war against the rebels is beginning to come to an end. As you all know, we have captured their leader, an Alien Hunter that I am very much aware you all know. Though he has yet to divulge any information regarding our enemies, you can rest assured that we are doing everything we can to break him. And break him we shall."

There was a pause as if Undinogh wanted to let that all sink in to everyone. I saw Daniel's jaw tense, his fist clenched. We didn't need to be told who this leader was. We already knew.

"The end to this fight had been a long time coming and it would have ended sooner had Alparians not interfered." Undinogh went on, his voice seething. "I wish I could tell you all not to worry about these Alparians. However, there are two Alparians out in the galaxy that can cost us this war." Pause. "Hard to imagine, correct? But I can assure you that what I speak is true. As followers of his greatness, The Prayer, it is our duty to ensure that there are no loose ends, no one left in the galaxy to oppose him. He had already done so much. He had erradicated the Alparians—scattered them until he ultimately annihilated their race. He had banned mindless entertainment making us all focus more on completing our tasks than fantasizing. He had ensured that no harm come to you, provided that you continue to bow down and support him, that is."

"Why do I have a bad feeling about this, Daniel?" I asked as Undinogh once again paused his speech, filling it with an amused laughter.

Daniel looked at me and nodded. He took my hand and as discretely as we could, we moved back to the hangar, hoping to get there before Undiogh finished the speech he was giving. Both Daniel and I knew where the speech was going and we didn't want to be in that planet when the inevitable announcement came.

We were almost back to our ship when we heard a piece of Undinogh's speech that made us drop all pretenses.

"—The Prayer had deemed it necessary to put every able-bodied Cyborgians and much of our resources in ensuring the capture of the two remaining Alparians in the known galaxies." Undinogh said and as soon as he said those words, holographic images showing both Daniel and myself appeared in the air for everyone to see. "These two Alparians are highly dangerous and as such, extreme caution and force are to be used in them. The Prayer does not wish their capture, he wishes their destruction. Do not go easy on them. Do not look down upon them just because they appear to be mere children—"

We didn't wait for Undinogh to finish what he was saying. We sprinted as fast as we could to our ship. We knew there were sensors all around us that were bound to alert them of "unidentified objects" speeding through the hangar, but it was either that or be captured. We were sure that those who had paid us any attention would know that we were there in that planet.

Daniel didn't wait for me to be strapped in, he fired the ship and without waiting for the automated voice to tell us that we can now depart, he put the ship in high gear and set us ready for our escape from that planet.

In retrospect, maybe Daniel should have opted for a stealthier escape because what he did only caused the alarm to sound and for Cyborgian Chasers—what The List calls as the authorities of that planet—to chase after us. And they have never let up since then...

* * *

><p>"Daniel, I don't think we can lose them," I said. But even as I said those words, I hoped that Daniel was going to argue with me. To tell me that I was being stupid and that there was nothing to worry about...even though we both knew that there were a million things to worry about. "If you keep pushing yourself, we might lose the ship and—"<p>

"That won't happen," Daniel said, glancing at me. "I won't let them get to us. We'll get through this. You seem to forget who you're with, Dana. I'm Daniel X, Alien Hunter extraordinaire!"

"Daniel..."

"I'm serious. I have a plan, but I'm going to need your help to pull it off." Daniel said, his eyes focused, staring ahead. Another hard turn almost sent me flying. "I'm not gonna lie, I'm starting to feel tired again and this probably won't work but...it's the only thing I can think of right now."

"Alright," I sighed.

"Do you trust me?" He suddenly asked.

I stared at him. A look that asked 'Are you kidding me?'. We've been through that discussion before. Of course I trusted him.

"I have to know, Dana," Daniel told me.

I sighed before I nodded and said, "Of course."

He smiled, a smile that lit up his face and made me momentarily forget that we were being chased and hunted down. Then he nodded before he told me what he wanted me to do and what he planned to do. It was overly-theatrical and dangerous, not to mention crazy but also ingenious. It showed every bit of what Daniel was.

"Do you think they'll fall for it?" I asked, my heart was beating so fast and worry filled me.

"They fell for whatever crap The Prayer and Undinogh told them, right?" Daniel shrugged his answer. "They may have heat sensors but this'll probably keep them from detecting signs of life with it."

"Are you sure that this is going to work," I asked, even as I looked at the display on the monitor.

"Nope," I gave Daniel a worried look which he only laughed. He then didn't waste any time and began firing shot after shot at our pursuers, leaving me to maneuver the ship. Our ship's guns were no match for the Chasers but Daniel was betting on the Chasers to return fire. After all, they didn't want to capture us, they wanted to destroy us...though throughout the whole chase they didn't let any bullets fly.

The bullets Daniel fired were incinerated even before they hit the ship's barrier causing Daniel to whistle, "Man, that's some shield they have to be strong enough to destroy our bullets like they're nothing. If they bump at us, even just a little bit, we're toast."

"No need to put an added pressure on me, Daniel," I said, warning him to keep his observations to himself. I was already a wreck inside, I didn't need another thing to worry and think about.

Daniel just laughed it off again. How he could still laugh under such circumstances bugged me, but I guess that was just how he was...even though I was pretty sure he was just as worried as I was, maybe even more...though I really should be the one who was most worried about his plan. After all, our survival rested on my shoulders.

After several more rounds of Daniel firing at the Chasers and the Chasers, surprisingly, not retaliating, Daniel decided that this called for something more powerful than the weapons we had. And so, despite me telling him it would be stupid of him to create something when he was already tired, Daniel materialized a pair of guns attached to our ship's top thrusters. The guns were bigger than what the ship could actually carry which made it harder for me to maneuver but it did do its job as Daniel, upon firing, managed to graze one of the ships out front that was chasing us.

That got them riled up and they began firing at us. Daniel looked at me and I stared back at him. He nodded and I slowly began lowering the power of our ship. My hands were shaking as I did so and all I could think of was "Timing is everything. Timing is everything. Timing is everything.". Daniel then left his station and walked towards me, putting his hand on top of mine and giving me a smile.

"You can do this," He whispered.

I gulped, "Tall order, Daniel."

He merely grinned.

And then the ship's computer began warning us of an incoming missile, informing us of the distance between us and it. I took a deep breath, my eyes closed and Daniel squeezed my hand. I let my breath out and opened my eyes, calling forth all of my power and my concentration as the computer began counting down before impact.

And then the missile hit us. Just before the ship exploded, I let all of my power out, calling forth a barrier that is—hopefully—strong enough to withstand the impact of the multiple explosions that both Daniel and I knew would come. It wasn't easy, and I never really thought it would be as one after another we were buffeted with explosions. My head pounded as I kept my hold on Daniel, making sure that our connection wouldn't be broken and that my barrier would be enough to envelop both of us.

The assault lasted only seconds, but for me it felt like hours. I was pushing myself to the limit, and so was Daniel as he morphed a large piece of broken wing around us, making it seem like we were part of the debris that would be floating around because of the attack. It was a camouflage, he said, that would be inconspicuous considering that we had flied straight to what he believed was a ship graveyard.

Silence filled us as they finished bombarding what was left of the ship, not that there was anything left there to begin with since Daniel had given up on that creation in favor of our camouflage and Daniel and I continued to push ourselves. We didn't actually know what was going on, what our pursuers were doing but we could guess that they were checking for any signs of life—to see if whether we survived the onslaught or not. I prayed that whatever Daniel was doing, coupled with my own barrier, would be enough to dissuade them from actually making sure that we were dead.

After what seemed like an eternity, the Chasers one-by-one turned their ships around and left and just in time too as I was beginning to feel the effects of using my psychic powers so much. Blood had begun trickling down my nose, making it hard to breathe so much so that I had to use my mouth. Daniel saw this and frowned.

"Hold on just a little bit more, Dana," Daniel whispered to me as he looked back at the retreating ships. "We'll just wait until they're far enough."

I nodded as I wiped the blood from my nose, my head pounding. Second later Daniel sighed and told me to put the barrier down. I didn't need to be told twice as I was on the brink of losing consciousness then. As soon as I did, Daniel began to reshape his creation until it was turned into another ship, much smaller than the one we had before.

"Hey," Daniel said as he took me in his arms and proceeded to wipe the sweat that was on my face. "I know this is going to sound like a stupid question but, are you alright?"

"I'll live," I smiled at him. "Too much effort with that barrier, that's all."

Daniel frowned but nodded. "Alright, just rest then and here," he materialized a bottle of water and handed it to me, "drink this. It'll help."

I took the water from him and took greedy gulps from it, not realizing how thirsty I was until I had done so. The headache was subsiding a bit, but it still made my eyes twitch and the dim lights to hurt my eyes. I rested my head on Daniel's shoulders, the silence inside the ship comforting me and lulling me slowly to sleep.


	19. Open Heart, Open Mind

**A Daniel X Fanfic **

**by Sakura Martinez**

* * *

><p><strong>Disclaimer: <strong>

I do not own Daniel X, or the characters in that story. James Patterson own the rights for them. What I do own is the idea for the fanfic and this fanfic itself.

* * *

><p><strong>Summary: <strong>

After surviving Void's Game, being reunited with his _drang_, and learning the truth about Void, Daniel X leaves with Khadagh to prepare for the imminent battle between Number One and Two. But when both Daniel and Khadagh disappears, The Prayer begins his revenge, seeking the aid of a mysterious group. Now, it's a race against time our heroes to put a stop to The Prayer's latest scheme before it's too late and it will take everything in their power to do so.

* * *

><p><strong>Daniel X: Out of Time<strong>

**Chapter Eighteen**

**Open Heart, Open Mind**

* * *

><p>I woke up in bed not knowing how long I have been sleeping. A slight headache remained, an echo of what I had pushed myself to do in order to survive. Once my eyesight had adjusted, I saw Daniel, his head on his arm perched near my head while his other hand held mine. I smiled at him. It was strange seeing him looking so peaceful. After all, we had just had a fleet of Chasers try to kill us for twelve hours straight...<p>

I was still debating on the merits of pushing myself out of the bed when Daniel began to stir away. His eyes immediately searched for mine and we stared at each other for a little while before he smiled and asked, in a husky voice, "Hey, you feeling alright?"

I nodded and ended up answering in a whisper, "A little bit. Still have a slight headache, but that's about it."

Daniel then stood from where he sat and then moved to join me in bed, making me scoot a little bit for him to do so. I rested my head on his chest as he stroked my hair.

"Then rest a bit more," he said, also in a whisper that it made me wonder why we were whispering. "No need to go pushing ourselves that far again...at least, not yet."

"That's what you said before we finally headed of to Sigma-G-21," I reminded him. Though I wondered why we were whispering, I decided to keep the same level of voice. "Look where that got us."

"Maybe," I felt Daniel shrug. "But, this time I mean it. We have a tough road ahead of us."

I tried pushing myself up, but Daniel kept me down so I was forced to merely look at his face...not that I minded.

"You came up with a course of action for us?" It was supposed to come out as a statement, but instead the way I said it made it look like I was asking.

Daniel smiled, "Of course." but he soon dropped the façade and shook his head. "But, I'm not sure just how plausible it is..."

"Saving Khadagh, you mean." I already knew what he was planning. It was easy to read him sometimes.

Another nod from Daniel was the answer. "He's the only one who can help get us back to our time now. I was hoping that the Cyborgians would be able to do so but, with them working for Undinogh and Khadagh, it would be impossible to seek for their cooperation...not to mention that we may now be the Most Wanted Aliens in the whole universe." A sigh escaped his lips then before he held me tighter, "I'm sorry, Dana. This wasn't supposed to happen. If I had known that bringing you along would only put you in this much danger, I would have—"

"Don't you dare finish that sentence, Daniel." I warned him. "If you would have left me behind, who knows if the portal worked. And, if it did, that would mean that you would have been thrown out here on your own. You would have left me behind. Again. I don't want that, Daniel."

"But—"

"No 'buts'." I looked sternly at him as I cupped his face, "We had been a team before, Daniel. Back in Alpar Nok. Don't tell me you've forgotten that. And, we will keep being a team. Besides, there's nothing we can do now that we are here except accept what has happened and find a way to fix it. It doesn't matter what kinds of hardships we face, Daniel. I want to face them with you. I want to always by your side. Don't you want me by yours?"

As soon as that question was out of my lips, he looked at me, his eyes burning with something I had never seen. His face was filled with seriousness and intensity but, at the same time, he looked at me with such tenderness that surprised me.

"Of course I want you by my side, Dana. I always have and I always will." Daniel replied, his hands on mine, his eyes never leaving my face. "I will do _anything_ for you. And I mean that. That's why...you have no idea...how hard it is to see you suffering when you were pushing yourself like how you did earlier. To see you put yourself at risk and not be able to do anything about it, it crushes me. I don't want to see you get hurt, not for anything."

"I know that, but I'm not so weak that I would fall so easily. You should know that." I told him gently.

We stared at each other once more in silence, neither of us wanted to be the first to look away. After a couple of seconds, Daniel looked away and sighed.

"I never said you were weak," He smiled sadly at me, like not being weak is such a bad thing. "But, I wish I could be the one protecting you...always...the way my dad does with mom."

I smiled at him, "You are doing that, Daniel. But, you have to let me do my part, too. Otherwise, it would only make me feel like I'm just an accessory."

He nodded, seemingly able to understand where I was coming from. I find it sweet of him to want to protect me, but the truth remains that both he and I are Alparians. We were born with the ability to fight and defend ourselves. We were not weak, unless, of course, we lack in training. And we grow strong through experience. Should things have turned out differently, if Alpar Nok wasn't attacked, I would have been sent off to another planet, maybe another galaxy to act as its protector or I could have been hunting aliens like the others.

I wanted to remind Daniel that I had also grown strong from my time as Seth's prisoner. I wanted to assure him that he had nothing to worry about. But, even as he accepted what I had said, I could still see it in his eyes, that worry that I know would never leave and I wasn't sure if I wanted him to completely stop worrying either.

Soon after that, Daniel and I stopped talking and just enjoyed each other's company as if we weren't on the run or in hiding, as if Undinogh and the Prayer weren't out there searching for us and trying to kill us—or even believing that we had, indeed, been killed by the Chasers. After a while, we both fell asleep in each other's arms.

* * *

><p>It was cold. Really, really cold. I could hear the sound of metal scrapping on metal and a pounding in the distance. What little light there was, was only enough to create indiscernible shadows that danced around the walls.<p>

I didn't know where I was, but I knew that I was no longer in the safe confines of my room in that ship with Daniel. I also knew that I was in a dream and not just any dream, a Dream Walk—the kind that I used to have with Daniel when we were both training and were in different planets literally worlds apart.

I couldn't help but frown.

_How did this happen? How did I get here?_ I didn't really know the answer to that. The only person whom I have linked with and allowed to have this kind of conversation with was my mentor and, of course, Daniel.

I looked around again, dreading what this Dream Walk would mean when someone spoke behind me, causing me to whirl around, ready to attack should the need arise.

"I didn't expect it to work," Khadagh said and for a moment I mentally kicked myself at not realizing that, since Khadagh _is_ Daniel, he was also linked to me. I grimaced at the thought as I tried to erase it from my mind. "But I'm glad it did."

"Khadagh?" I didn't step nearer to where his silhouette was. He was shrouded in some form of darkness making it hard for me to see much of him. All I could see were his eyes, his mouth and whatever part of his body the little light touched. He looked in a far-worst shape than when Daniel was captured. They really did a number on him.

His head moved, and I could only guess that it was a nod.

"What—Where are we? Where are you? Daniel and I, we're planning on rescuing you." I told him, not sure if it was such a great idea to let him know that. Even though we were in a place where no one can spy on us, I was still worried that the other me had find a way to do something like that.

"Don't worry, we're safe." Khadagh told me. "They're busy trying to re-open the portal again." He gave a heartless laugh, "They expect me to help them with that, but there's no way I would. I am glad that you and Daniel are safe, though. When I heard them talking that you were both killed in an explosion, I thought it was my fault for dragging you both here...not that I meant to do that."

"We're fine. Daniel and I are lying low for a while. We're still trying to regain the strength we lost so we'll be in full-power when we come for you." I assured him.

"Don't," Khadagh said. "Don't try to rescue me. It won't do you both any good. You should just get back to your time and set things going as it should—without anyone from this side messing up with how things go."

"Believe me, Khadagh, we would have gone straight back home if we could but..." I trailed off.

"You can't?" He asked, as if it didn't occur to him that Daniel wouldn't be able to create a portal strong and big enough to send us back. "Daniel can't?"

I shook my head. "He tried but he's powers were just too spent for it to work properly...not that we have rested enough to try and do it again after that whole incident in Sigma-G-21. That's why we're coming for you, we though that maybe once we rescue you, you can help us go back."

"No, I won't be much help to you both," He answered, as if it pained him to admit. "The Prayer...he did something to me. If I try to tap into that power, he will be able to use it as well. I can't allow him to do that. You have to find another way to go back home. Better yet, just stay where you both are and keep lying low until you're both strong enough to help each other to get out of this god-forsaken timeline. That's the only way..."

"What about you?" Though I hated to admit it, I was worried about what they were doing to him and what the consequences would be if we left him facing all of that alone.

I could see Khadagh's face curving into a smile before he answered, in his cocky way, "I will manage and I will not go down without a fight. As soon as I am certain that you are both safe, I will do what must be done and I will make sure that it is one heck of a show."

"Khadagh..."

"Look, Dana, I didn't come to you to seek for help. I don't want you or Daniel coming to my aid, do you understand?" I nodded, reluctantly. Then he went on to say, "This world is my world. You cannot do anything that will change the course of the future in this timeline. You do not want to be burdened with the curse that comes with messing with time...you do not want to end up the way my parents did. Hell, you don't want a world to collapse now, wouldn't you?" He took a shaky, deep breath, "I just wanted to make sure that you are both alive and wanted to make sure that you both don't do anything stupid. You got that?"

"Yes," I did. "But what if that doesn't work? What if Daniel can't make a portal back to our time?"

"Then go to these coordinates," he then gave me the coordinates, but not before telling me not to go there unless we didn't have a choice. That does coordinates were only to be used for an emergency.

Before he closed his link with me, he gave me one final smile before saying, "I know this is going to sound weird coming from me, Dana but...take good care of him, will you? I'm sure my mother and father wouldn't entrust their son to a more capable hand than you."

And then he was gone and I was once again lying on the bed, Daniel's arms were wrapped around me, his warmth caressing me...and tears were flowing down my face because I knew, or could guess at least, what Khadagh was planning to do. And that those words of his were his way of saying goodbye.

He was going to finish things off with Undinogh the way he knows how.


	20. Out of Time, Part Three

**A Daniel X Fanfic**

**by Sakura Martinez**

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Notes:<strong>

I am still miffed about the results of American Idol (yeah, I watch that show). I was rooting for Jessica to win. I know, she doesn't need Idol, not with that holy-freaking-amazing voice she has, and that she's better off not winning anyways since the winner usually just ends up with a sub-par record deal (with the exception on Kelly, Carrie, Cook, and Scotty), still...I wanted Jessica to win because she is a girl and she has this amazing pipes. But, meh, back on the fanfic at hand. I really want to finish uploading all of the chapters soon (the story's done) since I intend to release a final Daniel X fanfic to cap the story. I'm going to use the same title as the upcoming book for it. So, yeah...

Anyways, enjoy this latest chapter. And please, don't forget to review!

* * *

><p><strong>Disclaimer:<strong>

I do not own Daniel X, or the characters in that story. James Patterson own the rights for them. What I do own is the idea for the fanfic and this fanfic itself.

* * *

><p><strong>Summary:<strong>

After surviving Void's Game, being reunited with his _drang_, and learning the truth about Void, Daniel X leaves with Khadagh to prepare for the imminent battle between Number One and Two. But when both Daniel and Khadagh disappears, The Prayer begins his revenge, seeking the aid of a mysterious group. Now, it's a race against time our heroes to put a stop to The Prayer's latest scheme before it's too late and it will take everything in their power to do so.

* * *

><p><strong>Daniel X: Out of Time<strong>

**Chapter Nineteen**

**Out of Time, Part Three**

* * *

><p>"Dana," I heard Daniel calling my name, his voice sounded muffled—like he was very far away—and felt his hands on my shoulders as he shook me, "Wake up."<p>

There was a hint of worry and panic in his voice, the kind that, when you hear it, you'd have opened your eyes at once for fear of whatever the reason might be that someone sounds that distraught.

My eyelids still felt heavy, like I didn't have had enough sleep, when I opened them and saw Daniel's face hovering inches above mine. The frown on his face lessened and a sigh escaped his lips before a small smile appeared on his face and he said, "Thank God."

Daniel pushed himself away from me as I pushed myself up in a sitting position. I was confused, disoriented.

"You scared me," he said, chuckling half-heartedly.

"Scared you?" I didn't know what he was talking about.

Daniel then looked at me with those eyes of his that burned with something I couldn't quit figure out. There was determination in them, warmth, and love but there was also something hidden lurking within his gaze. And then he moved closer to me, his hand reached for my face and when he touched me, he then proceeded to wipe something off of my face.

And that was when I realized my face was wet. A trail mark of tears went from my eyes down to my cheeks and finally my jaw.

"You were crying," he said softly. "You were also mumbling in your sleep but, I couldn't understand what you were saying. I tried waking you up but you wouldn't wake. I was afraid something had happened to you...something I was powerless to do anything about."

He closed his eyes and I felt him tremble beside me.

Even though I had known him for who he is, it never failed to surprise me how Daniel X, the Alien Hunter, would have this side of him. A side that I don't believe anyone else had been privy to witness. My heart swelled with the thought that he was willing to bare himself to me—both his weakness and his strength. The amount of love and trust that Daniel have, I knew I will treasure it.

"I'm sorry," I apologized, even though I knew it wasn't my fault. But the apology was also from the knowledge that I won't be able to tell him what I had dreamt—what I had seen. I couldn't tell him about Khadagh—his predicament and his plans. I knew that Daniel would go out of his way to rescue his "other" self, even if Khadagh had specifically instructed to abandon such a rescue mission.

Daniel shook his head, "Don't be. I'm just glad your fine." he then paused and looked at me again, with all of the attentiveness that he could muster, and then asked, "You _are_ fine, right?"

"I'm fine. Don't worry." I nodded. It was another half-truth. I was physically fine, but I didn't feel all that fine inside. I kept thinking about how much he trusts me but how I am unable to trust him to make the right decision with Khadagh. I didn't even know why I had cried. Khadagh and me. We didn't have a relationship worth tearing up about. But still...

He stared at me for a little while longer before nodding and resting his head on the wall with another sigh. And then he asked me the question that I dreaded, "A bad dream?"

"You can say that," I laughed, though I wondered if it sounded as forced as I felt it to be.

He waited for me to elaborate. But I didn't. Daniel could have pushed me to tell him about it. But he didn't. Silence filled the room before Daniel, noticing that I wasn't going to say anything more about the subject, chose to veer away from it.

"We have to figure out what to do from here," he said, his eyes were on the rusted ceiling of our make-shift ship. "At least, until I can use my time-travelling powers again."

I nodded. That was true. "How long do you think that would be?"

Daniel thought for a while before answering, "I'm not sure how constant the cool-down time is for me to use it again...but, I am pretty sure that I can get us back. Or, at least, get us away from this time and into a more...uh, peaceful time and place. But we can't stay here, in this place. They might start a sweep. If they're going to figure out that we're still alive, it's better if we're already as far away from this place as possible."

I nodded once more and couldn't suppress a smile from forming in my face. Daniel sounded so sure. He sounded like a tactician who had so much experience in order to predict such a thing. He noticed me smiling and stammered a question.

"W-What? Did I say something funny?"

"No, it's not that." I replied, laughing a little bit as I rested my head on his shoulders. "You just sound like you're in the army. Then again, with how things seem to be progressing, that's not so farfetched, is it?"

"It's not, but I don't really want to think about a possible war waiting for us when we go home," he paused. "I hope everyone's holding up."

"They are," I said, even though we both know I had no real way of knowing that. For all we know an alien race might be dying and our friends might be captured. But, I guess, we also both knew that we had to hold on to a little something. A little bit of hope that things are going well on the other end.

We stayed like that for a couple of minutes more before we both got down to business.

It wasn't easy figuring out what to do and where to go. Even though Khadagh gave me the coordinates to a place where we _could_ go, should all else fails, I couldn't very well give them to Daniel. At least, not yet. Khadagh had specifically instructed that we should only use his coordinates if all else fails.

It was even harder trying to steer Daniel away from finding out where Khadagh was being held and ultimately saving him. He asked me so many times why I was so keen on leaving Khadagh alone even when we both knew he was being held captive. I told him the only thing that I could: that by trying to find and rescue Khadagh, we would be placing ourselves in mortal peril. I feel bad having to use the "you wouldn't want anything bad to happen to me, would you?" card on Daniel, but it was the only way for him to abandon the whole thing.

Though he did finally believe in Khadagh's ability to free himself in any sticky situation (after all, Daniel knew what Khadagh could do), I couldn't help but feel sick to my stomach.

After a couple of more debates, we finally agreed on one thing we both could do: head to the one place The Prayer, or anyone of his minions, would not think we would go to. And that only left one place in mind: Earth. More specifically, the place where Daniel's house once stood.

* * *

><p>It was easy to see why Daniel, despite knowing how hard it would be on him, would choose to head back to that place. For one, The Prayer would not believe that Daniel would have it in him to return to the one place where the saddest moments of his life collided. For another, we were certain that that house would still be uninhabitable. It would still be the charred remains of his childhood home making it even more unlikely for anyone to head there.<p>

Even though Daniel had told me that he had been there once before—even before he had come to get me after Khaddagh stranded me in that place and time—he had never really stopped there to think about _anything_. He was always on the run and the only times he actually stood there long enough to think about anything was during those times he was lost in his memories. Memories filled with anger at the one alien who had taken everything from him and who continued to hunt him down and ruin his life.

Coming up with the plan to stay there wasn't as easy as actually getting back to earth. It was actually harder than both of us thought—and, believe me, we had thought a lot about the kind of problems we would likely encounter. Daniel was already getting tired, and even with my own powers assisting him, it was only thanks to a miracle, or sheer luck—maybe even both—that we managed to land as quietly as we did a couple of kilometers away from where his old home would be. We were even more lucky that no one seemed to be in the immediate vicinity which only served to strengthen our belief that no one would find us there.

Having used too much of his concentration and his power, Daniel had to cool down. As such, I had to keep a small dose of my energy—small, but enough of it—to create a barrier around us. A precaution we needed should an ambush be waiting for us. It would be enough to keep any form of projectiles—bullets, laser beams, or energy blasts—from harming us, but it would not be enough on anything stronger than that. Like being attacked by Undinogh or The Prayer, or even the "other" selves of our friends and of myself.

To say that Daniel hated having no grip on his powers would be an understatement. But he didn't have choice. Even if he wanted to, he wouldn't be able to create anything at all. He was just _that_ tired.

We almost passed by the place where his house once stood, however. If both of us hadn't noticed how the earth was still barren and if neither of us have noticed the small signs that pointed to a settlement once being erected there, we would never have found the spot. Though we both knew we were in a far-distant future, both Daniel and I didn't realize the implications of it until we were standing in that dry patch of land where only a crude part of a wall, hidden by time.

From the look that quickly passed on Daniel's face, I could tell that he wasn't expecting the only thing left standing would be a small portion of a charred wall, no bigger than the length of his arm.

"I suppose we're going to have to use something to camouflage ourselves with if we're going to stay here," he said. He sounded like he was choking, having a hard time getting that sentence out of his mouth.

I chose not to look at him. I knew he needed to collect himself together and that he didn't need me to pressure him to do so. Instead, I looked around. Except for the charred earth, lush and abundant greenery surrounded us. It was a tree short of a forest. The house were I had, at one time during that escapade Khadagh made me live through, stayed at had overgrown weeds and bushes, as well as vines sticking from its nooks and crannies. It's roof was gone and a tree stood inside of it, the branches pushing out of the windowless panes. Here and there I could see, from where I stood, its large roots trying to push itself out of the soil. Without a doubt, the small cottage would not provide us much of a shelter.

"It wouldn't be hard to do, you know," I told Daniel, trying to sound lighthearted. Trying to ease the mood up a little. "With how much overgrowth is in this place, it would be easy to hide ourselves."

Daniel gave outa little laugh as he, too, looked around him. "That's true. You don't think a alien would suddenly burst out of the shadows of the trees here?"

"With how our luck's been going," I said. "I wouldn't be surprised if that happens."

Yes. That was just how bad I felt our luck was.

* * *

><p>Fortunately, no such thing happened. No deranged, psychopathic, hideous-looking alien from another planet came to attack us. Nothing came after us after dark. It was, strangely, peaceful. Well, considering that Terra Firma was a planet that The Prayer already has in the palm of his hands.<p>

We stayed in the branches of the large tree that had taken root in the cottage. Sure, Daniel could have provided us with a more luxurious place of rest, but I stopped him from doing so. After all, creating something would only deplete his energy more. He would also have to concentrate again and, as such, would not be privy to rest—which he needed if we want to go back home, back to our time, as soon as possible. He had been straining his mind with concentration for a long time after all, even before we have found ourselves in this horrific time period.

And so, we used the tree as a place of rest. It wasn't all that uncomfortable. The branches were big and sturdy enough that we could lounge about without having to worry about falling off and cracking a rib or two. The leaves on the tree was also lush and plentiful, allowing us cover. We've made sure to look at different angles before we decided which branch to take, making sure that no matter from what vantage point someone might be looking at, we wouldn't be seen in our hiding place. The whole setup was, in a weird and funny sort of way, so prehistoric (at least, in my opinion) that I doubt it would cross any dangerous aliens on Daniel's The List of Alien Outlaws' mind.

While we were there, I made sure Daniel didn't use his powers...not even when it came to giving us, even me, a small bit of comfort. A little bit of discomfort is something I don't mind if it meant getting back home quickly. Daniel didn't like it. Not that he liked anything that had happened ever since we got whisked away here. But, he didn't have a choice. I can be _very_ persuasive when I want to be. The only thing I did allow him to do was provide food and water for us. It would do us no good to starve us to death, after all.

The days passed as peacefully as they could possibly be. Day after day Daniel regained his strength so much so that he even said he could attempt to summon a portal that would bring us back to our own time. I was glad. I already missed the comforts of modern living, more specifically, taking a shower—something that both Daniel and I sorely needed.

Finally, the day when Daniel could once again create anything without having any trouble came. He was well rested and could probably survive an assault from the top 2 aliens in The List. He was more than capable already to create the portal and send us home. He had said that much when that morning came.

I waited for him to do so as we stood under the tree that we had used as a shelter. But he didn't move nor showed any signs that he was prepping himself to create the much-needed portal. He just stood there with his arms crossed and a look on his face that suggested he was deep in thought. I waited and waited, anticipation of going home building up within me that I wanted to shout at him in frustration; ask him what he was waiting for.

Finally, when I couldn't take the silence much longer, I decided to speak up and question him what, exactly, was he waiting for.

But, before I could, he turned to me and said, "We have to go back,"

I thought he was talking about going back home, and so I agreed with him.

"Of course, that's what this is all about, isn't it? That's the whole point in having you rest yourself from using your powers."

Relief flooded him. Like he couldn't believe that I had just agreed with him. Which was weird. So weird that I immediately wondered if I had understood his question wrong.

"That's a relief," Daniel said, as if that wasn't obvious enough. "I thought, for a moment, that you'd argue with me."

I looked at him like he's the biggest idiot in the face of the known universe. Which I felt he was at that moment.

"Why would you think that I would argue about us going home?"

The relief changed to confusion, his face crumpling into a frown. "Home? No, that's not what I mean."

"That's not what you meant?" I dreaded what he was going to say next. Because, even if I asked him, I knew what the answer was going to be.

"Of course, I want us to go back home...preferably soon. But, what I meant was that we have to go back and save Khadagh. We _need _him."

"No, we don't," the argument came too quickly, which only made Daniel's frown deepen even more. "I mean, sure he's a great help to getting us back, if he can, but you remember what he said, right? He can't do anything to actually help us defeat The Prayer or Undinogh. That also means that we can't do _anything_ in this time to help him."

"That's not necessarily true. If we weren't allowed to help anyone, then why did he help us? If he could help you guys rescue me, then shouldn't we be allowed to do the same for him?"

That was true. We did manage to rescue Daniel because of Khadagh's help.

Daniel looked at me intently. "Why do I get the feeling that you _don't_ want to help him? I get that you hate him for having made you do all of those things before we got reunited, but he has been trying, hasn't he? To earn your trust and approval back?"

I looked away. I did know that Khadagh was trying. All those times when he had to fend for himself, before he met us, made him a bit awkward and I suppose that awkwardness gave birth to the mean-streak he usually have, his snarkiness, and over-all unpleasant attitude. But what Daniel said was true. He did try to be a little bit kinder than he was before.

"It's not that I _don't _want to help him," I told him slowly.

"Then what is it about, Dana?" He was exasperated, like he was trying hard not to have a shouting match with me.

What _is_ it really about? Khadagh's instruction? His insistence that we don't try to rescue him? Was I just being selfish in wanting to return to safety...or, at least, the relative-safety that I felt we had back in our own time? Maybe it was one of those reasons, maybe a different reason altogether. Maybe it was even all of the above reasons. But, whatever the reason might be, I didn't know which one I wanted to tell this Daniel—the Daniel who was loyal to his friends. So loyal to the fault.

"You must have a good reason for not wanting to go after him," he said softly, his eyes downcast. "I know you're not one to abandon your friend...or even someone who all of us owe something to."

I took a shaky breath in, and then breathe it out in virtually the same manner. A part of me wanted to lie, not knowing why I want to. Another part wanted to come clean about the whole dream. The latter part was the one who won out.

And so, I told Daniel about the Dream Walk I experienced with Khadagh. I told him what Khadagh wanted: that he wanted us to get back to our own time and leave him to deal with his own timeline's problems. I talked and talked, all the while Daniel listened, never interrupting, just absorbing everything that I told him.

The moment I finished telling him everything, I expected Daniel to go on a tirade about why I had to hide those things from him. I expected him to pace around, going ballistic, or something of equal nature. But, he didn't. He just sat there, beside me, a thoughtful expression once again etched on his face.

I didn't know how long we sat there. It may be as long as an hour or as short as ten minutes. I didn't want to be the one who broke the silence, or break Daniel's train of thought. He looked as though he was waging a war with himself and I could only imagine the internal struggle he was facing: Should we do as we were instructed or should we break every known rule regarding time-travelling and try and save a friend's life?

"I don't know what to do," Daniel finally admitted. "I want to save Khadagh, I really do but...to break the rules of time-travelling..."

He shuddered. The rules were there for a reason and who knows what consequence would abound if we break them. Even being there, at that alternate time-plane, we were already straining the rules. If we try to save Khadagh, we could be endangering the metaverse and all the other alternate timelines that existed. We could cause the two worlds to collide and collapse. Neither of us wanted that on our conscience and base on Khadagh's desire that we head straight back to our own time said that he didn't want it on his as well.

"We can try going to the coordinates he gave us." I told him, it was the first thing that came to my mind.

"But you said that Khadagh told you to only use it on an emergency," Daniel reminded me.

True, Khadagh did say that but, it felt like what we had was an emergency. We didn't know what course of action to take, but if there was someone in those coordinates that could help us, we were going to take up the help and maybe get someone to help Khadagh as well. I told Daniel as much. Though he was still debating with the merits of my suggestion, he did agree to try it out. The worst that could happen was that we land into a trap, but Daniel was already strong enough to create a portal to bring us back home, so we have a backup plan if seeking help doesn't work.


	21. An Uncharted Planet

**A Daniel X Fanfic**

**by Sakura Martinez**

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Notes:<strong>

Yeah, updates are a bit more frequent now since I've already finished the whole fanfic and just didn't want to dump so many chapters on one sitting (yeah, stinky reasoning, I know). I've also begun writing "Armageddon"-the next in the series.

Anyways, I hope you guys enjoy reading this. Don't forget to review.

* * *

><p><strong>Disclaimer:<strong>

I do not own Daniel X, or the characters in that story. James Patterson own the rights for them. What I do own is the idea for the fanfic and this fanfic itself.

* * *

><p><strong>Summary:<strong>

After surviving Void's Game, being reunited with his _drang_, and learning the truth about Void, Daniel X leaves with Khadagh to prepare for the imminent battle between Number One and Two. But when both Daniel and Khadagh disappears, The Prayer begins his revenge, seeking the aid of a mysterious group. Now, it's a race against time our heroes to put a stop to The Prayer's latest scheme before it's too late and it will take everything in their power to do so.

* * *

><p><strong>Daniel X: Out of Time<strong>

**Chapter Twenty**

**An Uncharted Planet**

* * *

><p>I was starting to hate space travel. And that is a big deal, if you're an alien, like me.<p>

Don't get me wrong. Space travel _could_ be fun. The view is beautiful (unless, of course, you find yourself on an asteroid belt or on a junkyard) and there are many interesting things to see (have you ever seen how a star is born or how it dies? Or maybe a solar flare up close? Those are just some of the things I could list at the top of my head). If we had been on a vacation cruise in space, I would have loved it. But we weren't. We were at a race with time—a race that we seem to be losing.

The plan officially came together just as Daniel had created for us the fastest spaceship that came to his mind—which, much to my chagrin, was Ergent Seth's ship. I feared and loathed that ship. I wanted to argue with Daniel, to make him change the ship to something else. But Daniel didn't and not because he wanted to spite me. The ship, he said, was fast enough and the interior and exterior was just as he remembered it, though he changed a couple of things to make it look brand new. He said that if he had books from this time period regarding their spaceships, he could have created something else. But with how little time we had and how we're supposed to be dead, we couldn't risk going to a store (not that there was one nearby) that would offer us the latest edition of Space Travel Weekly.

And so, we were stuck with a copy of Seth's ship.

I felt claustrophobic and just about ready to lose it. In the end, to save both our sanity, Daniel changed the interior of the ship. It's hard to tell your mind that the ship you were riding in wasn't the same exact ship where you have been captive for so long, even though you know it to be true. So many bad memories can override common sense.

What happened while we were travelling to the coordinates Khadagh gave us? Well, my memory of that time is a bit fuzzy. One thing I was sure of was that: one, there were a lot of checkpoints from Terra Firma to there; and two, we managed to pass through said checkpoints without much trouble.

* * *

><p>You have no idea how thankful I was when we finally landed. I could have kissed the puke-colored ground if it didn't have that color. But, since it did, I opted to just breathe out a sigh of relief and say, "Finally!"<p>

Daniel chuckled and I gave him a death glare. He raised his hand in defense. But, even as he did so, he was still chuckling. I wanted to hurl an energy ball at him.

"Well," he said, hoping, I guess, to keep my mind preoccupied with something other than making him pay for making fun of me. "This is the place. But, what exactly is this form of help supposed to be?"

"I'm not sure," it was the first time we ever got to that planet and the planet seemed to be an uncharted one, too.

The ground, as I have said, had the same color as puke—which was, clearly, disgusting. Unlike Terra Firma, the sky was the color of moss and had a brownish-haze around it. The clouds were orange and there were three orbs in the sky. I wasn't sure if the planet had three moons or three suns because I didn't know if it was morning or night when we landed.

The foliage was as weird as the earth and the sky. They looked like they were made of Gel-O, though I doubt they are as edible. They ranged from rainbow and prism colors to plain colors. When the light from the three orbs hanging in the sky touched them, they shimmered and sent reflection of different colors around. At times I was blinded by the colors, other times I found it pretty. The rocks that littered the ground, including the giant boulders the size of an Elephant—something that Daniel pointed out to me—looked like a mesh of different jewels.

We saw all sorts of creatures from small, gerbil-sized ones that had four eyes to humongous monstrosities that could be so far from being cute one look at them would make you re-think the meaning of "ugly". I was sure even the mother of such a creature would not find it the most beautiful creature around. But, even as we ventured father and farther away from our landing site (Daniel had made the ship disappear, thank the heavens), we didn't find any sign of an intelligent lifeform that could, possibly, help us with our dilemma.

Over-all, the whole planet looked as if it was made by a child or some creature who decided to throw-up colors. It was very disconcerting.

"I really don't want this to have been a waste of time," Daniel huffed the moment we decided to take a rest under one of the largest weird-looking plant we found. The plant looked like it was a cross between a Pine and a Palm tree. "but, there doesn't seem to be anyone here who can help us."

"Maybe they're just shy aliens, like the Varjians?"

Daniel snorted. "The Varjians are anything but shy. They're just...careful."

"Okay," I said crossing my arms, "Then maybe the aliens of this planet are just _careful_."

"Hey, no need to get angry at me again," he laughed. "I already said I was sorry about the whole ship-thing, right? Besides, you have to admit that there is a difference between shy creatures and careful ones."

I shook my head. How can I argue about that? Besides, we were just starting yet another pointless debate.

My silence only paved the way for Daniel to grin. He knew he had won and knew that it would only be a matter of time until my irritation settles down. The boyish grin that was on his face made my annoyance disappear even faster and I had to look away from him just so I could keep it for a while longer. I didn't want it to look like he had if off easy.

We rested for a while longer. But, even as we made our way again, the grin that was on his face didn't let up and he even added a skip to his walk, as if he was perfectly happy and we didn't have any problems to worry about. It made him look like such a dork. A cute dork.

He kept on such a pace until he finally grew tired of walking like a five-year-old boy on a shopping spree. It was a couple of hours after that that we saw the first signs of intelligent life in the form of a settlement.

It rested on a cliff's face (which, unlike the ground, was much more easier to look at. Though the color still seemed out-of-place), dotted by circular windows and rectangular doors—both of which didn't have actual door on windows on them, they were like holes on the cliff made to serve as doors and windows. There were a lot of these "houses" as it seemed the whole cliff's face was filled with it.

Though we have finally seen something that would tell us that there was life—intelligent and, possibly, helpful life—on that planet, we haven't seen any _actual_ aliens (apart from the weird animals. Seriously, is there something on this planet that doesn't scream: 'Weird!'?). What's more, we were now faced with another dilemma: how were we supposed to reach those houses—if that was, indeed, what they were?

"Do you think we should?" I asked Daniel, motioning to the imposing cliff-side that stood looming at the distance.

Daniel shrugged, "We don't have much of an option. We did come here seeking help, right?"

"And I don't suppose we could find an elevator that would take us to one of those houses," and he was about to make one when I stopped him. "_Without_ you using your powers. We need to be smart about this, Daniel."

"Like rock climbing to the top of that thing is smart?" He smirked.

"You know what I mean," I swatted his shoulder, even though what I really wanted—as violent as it sounds—was to punch him in the gut.

"Sure, I do." He said as he walked past me, shaking his arms as if prepping for the climb he had mentioned. He then cocked his head towards me and said, "Well, shall we get climbing then?"

* * *

><p>My arms felt like they were just about ready to fall off. Don't get me wrong, neither Daniel nor I am so out of shape that we would easily tire. We aren't even considered "normal", not under human-standards. We <em>are<em> aliens, after all. Not to mention that we were born Alien Hunters. Which should be enough to say that the climb to get to those godforsaken houses really put quite a toll on us. It wasn't easy. It was very, _very _hard.

I wanted, so badly, to strangle the person who came up with such a living arrangement. Could he/she/it/they not have made it any harder for us to reach them?

After what seemed like forever Daniel finally got to a hole in the wall. He pushed himself through then turned around to lend me a hand. Once inside the dark room, we took greedy gulps of air, panting and tired after such an excursion. My hands were on my knees, sweat dripping on my forehead, my back, my arms, my legs, and possibly every nook and cranny of my body.

"That...I don't...want to do that...again." Daniel said in-between breaths.

"Ditto," was the only word that I could manage to utter.

We kept breathing in and out, in and out, trying to regulate our breathing before we finally took a good look around us.

Like I've said, the room was dark, though not pitch black. We could see silhouettes of various furniture and fixtures, some we could guess what they were used for (like the bed, the sofas, the tables) even if they looked oddly out-of-shape; others we have no idea what they were.

Apart from the strange furniture, we found ourselves in awe at how the actual room was. It was circular and the walls were smooth, even though they were made in the same material as outside. The air was also, surprisingly, cool and, more surprising, was that we couldn't smell earth or dirt in it. If there was a light bulb in the room, we didn't see it and we had to make sure we didn't bump our knees and topple an urn or something over as we made our way to the next room and the next, all the while wondering where the people who were supposed to live in those houses were.

Room after room, house after house we searched for anyone who could help us. When we got done with the current floor we were in, we climbed atop a ladder to the next floor and the next. Still, there wasn't anyone around. Not even a puppy-like animal or any form of pet that these people might have. It was quiet, and it became eerily so the more we climbed up.

Finally, Daniel and I just had to stop. We weren't a pair of idiots who would just continue on with this if it seemed like something was wrong, after all.

"What now?" I asked, my hand on the railing of the circular stairs we were climbing.

Daniel, who was walking/climbing in front of me looked back at me and said, "We don't have much of a choice. Maybe they're all in some kind of gathering or something. We have to keep going, but we have to be prepared for anything."

As he said those words, two weapons—guns the size of pistols—appeared in his hands. He gave me one and kept the other. The gun had a larger barrel and had so many wires that protruded from its body. A cylinder lay on its side where the sights of the gun was. In the cylindrical container was a greenish liquid that glowed, electricity running through it from time to time.

I gave Daniel a questioning look. I have never seen a weapon like it before.

Daniel shrugged, "It's one of Willy and Joe's joint projects. I asked them how to make these guns and they told me the principle of it so I can make it whenever I want."

"And what does these guns do? Fire electrical slimes?" Because that was the first thing that actually came into my mind when I saw it.

Daniel laughed silently, "No. Well, it can do that, but it works, basically, the same was an Opus does. With much more accuracy and a little bit less power. I mean, it can stun or kill but unlike the Opus that can blow anyone up at close range, this doesn't. This gun's leaning more on apprehending a person than blowing them to tiny little bits."

After that Daniel quickly explained to me how to use it. After all, it was much different from the weapons that I was accustomed to. It didn't have the conventional trigger that everyone's familiar with. The sights on the gun had strange symbols popping up whenever you use it. There were a lot more stuff that the gun—which said Joe had called 'BubbleGum' (I made a mental note to ask why he would name it as such)—can do and Daniel made a quick recap of it. When he was sure I could use the strange weapon (which I felt actually belonged in this planet...along with all the other weirdness), we made our way to the top of the spiral staircase.

Having weapons, though, proved insufficient when we got there. Because, as soon as we emerged from the staircase, we had a whole army waiting for us.


	22. The Lost Children

**A Daniel X Fanfic**

**by Sakura Martinez**

* * *

><p><strong>Disclaimer:<strong>

I do not own Daniel X, or the characters in that story. James Patterson own the rights for them. What I do own is the idea for the fanfic and this fanfic itself.

* * *

><p><strong>Summary:<strong>

After surviving Void's Game, being reunited with his _drang_, and learning the truth about Void, Daniel X leaves with Khadagh to prepare for the imminent battle between Number One and Two. But when both Daniel and Khadagh disappears, The Prayer begins his revenge, seeking the aid of a mysterious group. Now, it's a race against time our heroes to put a stop to The Prayer's latest scheme before it's too late and it will take everything in their power to do so.

* * *

><p><strong>Daniel X: Out of Time<strong>

**Chapter Twenty-One**

**The Lost "Children"**

* * *

><p>"Drop your weapon," the order came and I felt someone poke the muzzle of a weapon at the back of my head.<p>

I looked over at Daniel who nodded. We weren't going to be helpless even if we didn't have a weapon to use after all, and so we gave in to their demand, letting the 'BubbleGum' drop to the floor with a thud. Besides, we couldn't be expected to raise a hand against the army of children that encircled us...even though they were all pointing one weapon or another at our heads.

Yes. Children. That was what the army was consisted of. Children with age ranging from four to twelve, there were a couple of older children in the mix as well. Children who looked human, except for the an animal part sticking out of their body here and there.

Seeing all the children, it made sense for me why whole planet was as it was.

"Now put your hands in the air where we can see them," came another order, another one we gave into. After that we were ordered to slowly make our way to the middle of the wide-open area. We did as we were told once more, the weapons they have never trailing off of us. I made sure to keep as close to Daniel as I could as we made our way to the center. Though I can summon a barrier for both of us even with him at a distance, it was easier if we were together. It conserved more of my energy and I didn't really want to waste any more than what was needed.

There was a loud chattering, the intensity of which only children would be able to pull off. They were all looking at us, their expressions varying from curiosity to wariness, but most of them have one thing that united them: their distrust for the outsiders. The distrust they were feeling towards us. I couldn't really blame them.

When we got to the middle of the open area, and were finally allowed to turn around, we got to see the person who was giving us the orders.

As far as how she had eyes that literally looked like a cat's eyes and cat ears sticking out of her auburn hair, there was nothing else to mention about the sixteen-year-old girl in command. She was lean and tall, with skin the color of milky chocolate. She wore a pair of bikinis for clothes with mitch-matched colors that made it hard to look at her, a pair of boots made her getup seem strange, especially in such a place as that. Though, if there were any guys around that were of the same age as her, I could see why she would wear such revealing clothes. She had a perfectly toned body. The kind of body that I was sure human girls would die for.

I stole a gaze at Daniel, ready to smack him at the back of the head should I catch him ogling at the strange cat-girl. Fortunately for him, he wasn't. He was struggling to look at anything _but_ the girl in question. When he saw me looking at him, he raised an inquisitive eyebrow at me, as if saying: "What? I'm not looking, okay?"

Just then, the girl—the leader—spoke, asking the first of her questions, "How did you find our planet?"

Daniel looked at me and motioned with his hand for me to be the one to answer. I shook my head, before I did so, telling the girl that we got the coordinate for the planet from a friend who told us to go there if we needed help. Naturally, cat-girl's second question was with regards to who this friend was. When I told her—and, pretty much the rest of her motley crew—that it was Khadagh, there was an audible gasp of disbelief in the crowd. Cat-girl, although not daring to believe what I had just said, manage to keep herself from gasping out loud like the rest of them. She merely looked at us with a renewed sense of distrust.

"Khadagh would never give our coordinates away," she hissed amidst the murmuring voices of the other children.

"Well, he did. And he must've thought that it was worth it." I argued. Though I, myself, wondered why he would send us here. What could these children possibly do to help us? "I don't know if you and your people are aware of it, but Khadagh has been captured. And, by the sound of his voice when he communicated with me, he sounded resigned to whatever fate awaited him—to whatever Undinogh and The Prayer had planned for him."

The cat-girl stared me down for a couple of seconds before she asked another question, "How can we know that what you say is true. If Khadagh was indeed captured, how could he have communicated with you? How are we to know for certain that you are not spies sent here to exterminate our kind?"

"We don't even know what your kind are," Daniel finally spoke out, causing the girl to look from me to him. "Look, what Dana told you is the truth. Khadagh told us to go here in case of an emergency, if we couldn't go back home. Right now, it's not that we couldn't, it's just that I wanted to be able to do something for Khadagh—to save him. I would if I could but we're not allowed to."

"Not allowed to?" One of the younger kids asked. The kid got shushed by the girl even though she, herself, repeated the very same question to us.

"We're not allowed to mess with anything in this timeline." Daniel replied.

"Mess with the timeline?" she asked, almost laughing. "What are you two, a pair of time travelers?"

Daniel looked at me. I gave him a nod.

"Actually, we are just that. Time Travelers."

"Oh, really?" There was amusement in her voice. Like she was playing along with us. It made me think of how much of a cat she was. "Then, please, tell us, who are you both supposed to be."

"She's Dana," began Daniel, gesturing towards me. "And I'm Daniel X. We're Alparians. Alien Hunters."

That got all of their attention as they all stiffened. Of course, I should have known that introducing who we were after all that had happened wasn't such a great idea. Because the next thing we knew, hands were grabbing us and dragging us back down the spiral staircase before throwing us on a make-shift jail cell.

* * *

><p>"Damn it! Let us out of here!" Daniel shouted, banging the palm of his hand on the iron bars that separated us from our freedom. He had been shouting for it (our freedom, I mean) for almost half-an-hour and I was surprised how his voice still wasn't hoarse.<p>

"Give it a rest, Daniel. They won't be doing that. Clearly, they have something against you, or us, or the Alparians in general." I sighed.

Though we could easily have busted our way out of the cell, both Daniel and I thought that it was probably a bad idea to do so. We didn't want to make even more enemies...even though we've both decided that, after we get out, we'll be making a portal and heading straight back home. Khadagh's safety be damned! (Though I was the only one of the two of us who actually thought about Khadagh's safety like that. Daniel was still adamant in finding a way to help Khadagh).

Daniel gave the bars a good kick before he turned around and slumped down next to me. His frustration was coming off in waves.

"Why the heck did Khadagh send us here?" He asked me, as if I could give him an answer to that. Even I don't know what goes on in that head of his. "I was hoping for a civilized exchange, not us being thrown into prison."

"Don't worry, when he drags me back to that place with him in another Dream Walk, I'll be sure to give him what he deserves," I said. "I won't go easy on him."

Daniel gave a light chuckle, "I bet you won't."

We kept silent for a while. The only thing we could hear was the dripping of water that came from somewhere, the sound of wind as it passed through drafts, and the occasional noise brought about having hundreds of children in one place.

After a while, I asked, "Who and what do you suppose those children are?"

The answer to my question, however, did not come from Daniel, but from a voice off to our right, to where the bars were.

"We're the Lost Ones," a girl, five years in age, said, surprising both Daniel and I. We didn't hear her, or her companions (for there were three of them) arrive.

The girl had big, round eyes that were as dark as the abyss. Her hair was black, with a big white stripe in the middle making her look like a skunk. She wore a large shirt that made her look like she was wearing a dress and not just an upperpiece of garment. Her skin was pale, though not in a sickly sort of way.

Behind the girl was a boy the same age as her. Though he didn't have an animal ear or a tail, or even a claw (all of which the girl had, by the way), his teeth, however, were fangs. His hair was disheveled, though short, sticking out in every direction. His eyes were as blue as the Atlantic and his skin had the same tinge of color only lighter.

The last of the trio was the oldest one in the group. He looked as though he was in his teens, though maybe not as old as the cat-girl we met before. He was as tall as Daniel and had the same sandy-colored hair as he. But, that's about all the similarities I could see between them. Where Daniel had these amazingly blue eyes, the boy had deep chocolate ones. His skin was a step darker from ours, though you might have a hard time actually seeing his skin with all the fur. He also had sharp incisors and nails that could cut skin.

"Sorry, we didn't mean to startle you both," the older of the three said, a sheepish grin emerging from his face, showing off his fangs even more. "Though, thankfully, you guys didn't scream. Otherwise, that would have been bad. We're not allowed down here, you know."

Neither Daniel nor I spoke. Which forced the guy to fill in the silence by introducing himself and his companions.

"My name is Leo, by the way," I wouldn't have guessed that that was his name. Of course, I held down my sarcasm. I didn't want to lose a limb or something as he continued his introduction. "This little one is Pole and the dude's Razor." he motioned to the little girl and then the boy.

"Leo, Pole, and Razor," I repeated and the three nodded, a smile on each of their faces as if it was so amazing hearing me repeat their names. "Uh, I'm Dana and this is Da—"

Razor didn't let me finish, jumping up and down he said, "Daniel X. We know!"

Leo shushed Razor and reminded the kid to lower his voice. Razor blushed a little and nodded.

"Okay," I muttered to myself as I looked at Daniel. Clearly they were more interested in him, so I let him take the lead.

"Um, how did you—?"

It seems that I wasn't the only one they wanted to cut off when speaking, because it was Pole's turn to cut Daniel off, "How did we know who you are? Well, we've heard stories about you. You're awesome and cool and you have these great, big adventures fighting all the bad guys."

"Uh, thanks?" Daniel said as the little girl, Pole, continued on talking about how cool it was to meet Daniel. She seemed so happy and so energetic that Leo had to apologize on her behalf.

"She's kind of your number one fan here...That is, _if_ you are the _real_ Daniel X." Leo said.

Daniel and I frowned, though he beat me to it when it came down to saying something.

"What do you mean?" Daniel asked.

"Well, we heard that Daniel X died years ago." Leo said. "But, we also heard you say that you and Dana are time travelers. So, well, we're not sure if we should believe you when you say you are who you say you are."

"I understand where they are in this," I sighed.

"I do, too." Daniel nodded at me before turning his attention back at the trio of Lost Ones. "It's kind of dangerous for us to share what we know, but since Khadagh seems to believe that your people can help us, and if telling you what we know might give us that chance, then I will do it. But, I have to know, how did Khadagh know of this planet if no one's supposed to know about it?"

Daniel didn't add that he should have known about it since he and Daniel had, up to some point, shared the same past.

"I guess we can tell you guys that in exchange for what we want to know," Leo thought aloud before nodding.

And so came his narrative. It wasn't long, nor was it short. It was just, right there in the middle. Leo told us how they had rescued Khadagh from a wreckage in some abandoned space station. When Daniel and I both asked in unison where the space station was, we were told that it used to be orbiting the planet, but a couple of years ago had been completely decimated by an asteroid.

After that, Leo told us that Bast (the cat-girl we met earlier who also ordered that we be thrown to this prison cell) took care of the injured Khadagh until he had recuperated. In exchange, he told them stories of life beyond their planet and its surroundings. He told them of a great Alien Hunter, Daniel X and the Alparians who fought long and hard to ensure that peace and freedom reigned in the universe. It was kind of weird hearing that Khadagh told them of stories about his own adventures while hiding the fact that he really was Daniel.

When Leo finished telling us that, Daniel told him about us, not mentioning the fact that Khadagh was really their time's Daniel. The trio listened while I supplied, from time to time, bits and pieces that Daniel might have forgotten to mention. Our tale was longer than theirs but none of them grew tired from listening to Daniel. At one point, Pole was so into the story that she didn't realize that she was inching closer and closer to Daniel until she was sitting so close beside him, the only thing keeping her was the bars of the cell. Daniel didn't mind the little Lost One. Seeing how she loved to hear his stories and seemed to view him in high-regard, Daniel focused more on telling the story to her than to Leo and Razor—neither of them seemed to mind though and they seem to understand why Daniel was doing it.

Watching how he handled the curious questions that Pole threw at him made me smile.

I have never seen Daniel interact with someone younger than him and seeing him do so, even when we were being held captive, sort of made a thought jump out from my sea of jumbled thoughts.

_He would make a perfect dad._

The thought surprised me and I was thankful for the darkness that allowed me to hide the blush that I knew was creeping up my face. It wasn't that I hadn't thought about a future with Daniel. I had, though occasionally. Still, it wasn't the time nor a place for such a thought.

When Daniel finished telling our story, Leo asked, "So, you're not pulling our tails? You really are time travelers? You really are Daniel X?"

"Yes." Daniel replied.

"Have you guys stopped and thought about why anyone would say that he is Daniel X when saying so will call forth The Prayer and Undinogh's wrath?" I added. "No one in their right mind would claim himself to be Daniel unless he's the real Daniel X."

"We get that," Razor huffed. "That's why we came down here even though we aren't allowed to. We believe you two."

That surprised us, so much so that Daniel and I both asked in unison: "You do?"

Leo laughed. "Don't sound so surprised."

He put a hand and motioned us to keep quiet as he crept back up the ladder and peaked to see if anyone was around. When he had made sure that no one was, he returned and added, "We needed to ascertain that you are who you claim to be. And we got our proof from what you both told us."

"You did?" I asked as Daniel frowned.

"But, there's one thing that I need to hear from both of you directly. Something that only Khadagh would tell the real Daniel about." was Leo's reply.

I looked at Daniel. I'm pretty sure he was the only one who could tell Leo whatever it is he wanted to hear as a 'final' proof—or whatever he wants to call it. We waited for Leo to continue, to ask the question. But he didn't. It seemed like he was waiting for us—for Daniel—to speak.

Daniel shook his head, "I'm not really sure what you're hoping I would say and what I know of Khadagh, I don't know if you guys know. I haven't seen or heard any indication that you know of it and you may not believe me but it's the sort of knowledge that not just about anyone can know about."

Leo nodded, "Go on."

"You question who we are and who we are affiliated to, I get why you're doing that but, how can we be sure that you are who you say you are, too?" Daniel asked. It was the kind of question that I would have asked first, why Daniel chose to ask that then was beyond me.

"Touché," Leo laughed. "It all ends up with us trusting each other, I suppose."

"Then you'd have to take that as my answer as well," Daniel said with a sigh. "What Khadagh told me and Dana, and our _drang_, it's his secret. I can't share it with anyone, even if it feels like it's the answer—the proof—you're searching for."

The three Lost Ones looked at each other, the expressions on their faces were masked so much so that it was hard to tell what they were thinking. Seconds later they nodded and smiled at us.

"Well," Leo said as he took something from his pocket, it glinted when light touched it. After a while, the sound of metal scrapping metal could be heard and seconds later the door to our cell opened up. "You pass."


	23. Returning Home

**A Daniel X Fanfic**

**by Sakura Martinez**

* * *

><p><strong>Disclaimer:<strong>

I do not own Daniel X, or the characters in that story. James Patterson own the rights for them. What I do own is the idea for the fanfic and this fanfic itself.

* * *

><p><strong>Summary:<strong>

After surviving Void's Game, being reunited with his _drang_, and learning the truth about Void, Daniel X leaves with Khadagh to prepare for the imminent battle between Number One and Two. But when both Daniel and Khadagh disappears, The Prayer begins his revenge, seeking the aid of a mysterious group. Now, it's a race against time our heroes to put a stop to The Prayer's latest scheme before it's too late and it will take everything in their power to do so.

* * *

><p><strong>Daniel X: Out of Time<strong>

**Chapter Twenty-Two**

**Returning Home**

* * *

><p>"Pass? What do you mean 'we pass'?" Daniel asked, even as he and I were already both on our feet.<p>

"An enemy of Khadagh's would have told us that he and Daniel are one and the same person—which is, as you know, the only thing that I was sure he would not forget to tell a Daniel from another time," Leo was quick to speak, glancing behind him, making sure no one was around. "You could have told us that to save your hide, but you didn't. You gave us the right answer. Now, let's skedaddle out of here before Bast or anyone finds out that we broke you two out of prison."

As soon as he said those words, Razor took me by the hand and half-dragged me out of the cell just as Pole took Daniel's hand, doing the same. All the while both of them were chanting "Hurry, hurry, hurry."

Daniel and I looked at each other and nodded. There was no need to tell us twice, or in this case, thrice. We hurried out of the cell and followed Leo as he led us through hallways and rooms, deserted and dark, down ladders and through holes that were just big enough to let us pass.

We made our walk as sound-free as possible, knowing that what those three children did was broke us out of prison. I was sure they were going to get into far worst trouble than Daniel and I if we were caught.

After several minutes of climbing, walking, dragging ourselves, slipping and sliding, we finally arrived at our destination, which was the exact same place where Daniel and I first landed. To say that my jaw dropped at how much distance we travelled without knowing, would be an understatement. I wasn't just shocked, I was mortified. We had tire ourselves out trying to get to the top of that stupid cliff's face and it only took us less than an our (perhaps) to get back to where we started when we arrived at that planet.

"Yeah," Leo noticed the look on our faces, "There's sort of another way into the village. You both took the more difficult way."

"I can see that," Daniel said as he looked back to the path we have taken. It was hard to see, especially if you didn't know where to look. They hid it well. Very, very well. Then he turned to Leo and asked, " Why did you bring us out here?"

"Because it's much easier to talk here, and much easier for both of you to make your way back to your own time." Leo replied, then he put his hand up to shush us. "I know why you came here. You came here looking for help. That's the only explanation to that."

"Yes, we did, but we didn't come here to ask for help to go back home," I said. "We told you, we came here hoping that you guys would be able to find a way to help Khadagh."

"That's a pretty tall order," Leo laughed, although it was the kind of laughter that didn't really mean to demean anyone. "But you don't have to worry, we get that and we _will_ try to help Khadagh."

"Just the three of you?" Daniel asked, motioning to both Razor and Pole who had grown tired of our discussion and, instead, was running around chasing each other.

"We're stronger than we look, Daniel." Leo smiled. "Besides, the three of us aren't the only ones who are willing to take you at your word. There are a lot of us, and most of them are already preparing to mount a rescue mission."

"Are you sure?" I couldn't help but ask. I couldn't imagine an army of children doing much against The Prayer and Undinogh's forces. I didn't want to think that these children, who were all younger than Daniel and me, would risk their lives—and maybe lose it in the process—just to save Khadagh. The thought of little Pole and Razor lying dead somewhere didn't sit well at me. At all.

Sure, we just met them. And that's what makes it even harder. That and the fact that they are _kids_.

Seeming to read my dilemma, Leo said, "I can see why Khadagh—why Daniel—would put you in such high regard, Dana. You have such a kind heart." He grinned then added, "You kinda remind me of my mother." Then switching gears, he added, "Don't worry about us. We're stronger than we look and we're quite capable of wreaking havoc and staging rescue missions."

"But, you're all just kids. The Prayer and Undinogh won't show you all any mercy." I argued. Though I didn't exactly know if I should be flattered to what he had said about me reminding him of his mother.

Leo laughed, "You both are too. Trust me, we can handle the rescuing part, so long as Khadagh doesn't do anything extreme."

Daniel kept silent as my exchange with Leo went on. Though we did need help, need someone to save Khadagh, it just felt wrong to ask kids to do it for us. My argument, however, died when Daniel did finally speak.

"It's okay, Dana," Daniel told me as he placed a hand on my shoulder. I looked at him and he had that look of outmost confidence in his face. "I trust these guys will do as they say. I think I understand why Khadagh gave you that coordinates."

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"Even though he said it was for emergency, for when we couldn't find our way back, he didn't actually thought we wouldn't be able to," Daniel said. "I think, he thought that we would have a hard time deciding what to do. That we wouldn't leave without knowing that he would be taken care of. I don't think he intended to tell you that he was being held captive, too. When he sort of did, I think he was afraid that we would do something stupid, so he gave you the coordinates knowing that we wouldn't listen to him and we'd just head here."

"He knew we'd go here and ask for their help anyway?" I asked, trying to be clear about it. I don't doubt the idea of what Khadagh had actually planned when Daniel says it, after all, he and Khadagh would have to think at the same wavelenght sometimes.

Daniel nodded, then turned to look at Leo and Razor and Pole, "I think so. And, if Khadagh trusted them to pull through for him, I trust them too."

* * *

><p>Creating the portal that would bring us back to our own time didn't took as long as the one that brought us in this time did. That wasn't really a surprise for me, after all, this portal that we would be taking back was smaller than the one Khadagh, Daniel, and I made to suck everyone from his time back.<p>

As the portal—churning black with specs of multi-colored light erupting every now and then—floated behind us, the three Lost Ones stood as far away from it, fearing that they would be sucked in with us. There was a smile and a vote of confidence on their faces as they wait for us to depart before heading off to meet with those who wished, as much as they did, to save Khadagh.

I didn't understand why these kids—these children—would want to risk their lives to save Khadagh. I didn't know what he did for them that would warrant such a rescue efforts that made them go behind their leader. I didn't know why, and so I asked.

"So that's what's bothering you," Leo said, snapping his fingers. A look of understanding dawning on his face.

"Now that you mention it, Dana," Daniel paused, "You guys never told us what's pushing you all into helping us and Khadagh."

"That's easy!" Pole said, jumping up and down, the same wide smile was still on her face. "Khadagh is our daddy!"

If I had been expecting any answer from any one of them, that...certainly wasn't it. A mixture of horror and disbelief was what greeted such an answer. After all, with Daniel's—Khadagh's—powers, _that _wasn't impossible.

Upon seeing the look on my face, Leo burst out laughing.

"W-What?" I asked, a flush creeping on my face just as Daniel looked over at me, worried and I think a bit freaked out as well.

"Pole didn't mean it like _that_!" He said, still laughing. He then had that faraway look on his eyes, as if he was reliving the days that had gone by, when he added, "After Khadagh was healed, he took care of us. Well, mostly he took care of the younger ones. They ended up being attached to him and looking up to him. So much so that they ended up thinking of him as a father-figure."

Razor nodded vigorously, though he have anything to add to Leo's explanation.

To tell the truth, I was relieved that that was the case. Though I have noted before that Daniel seemed to have something in him that would make him a good parent, I wasn't sure if fathering so many half-human, half-animal creatures would be something he would be capable of doing well. Besides, it was weird to think that Daniel would create a whole new alien species, though—as I have said—not highly improbable. You never know what crazy idea he will come up with.

"So that's why," I couldn't help but notice a new-found respect for Khadagh forming within Daniel. "I guess now we can fully understand why you and your group would go out of your way for him. Right, Dana?"

I nodded, "I guess so. Who knew Khadagh has it in him to leave such an impression on these people."

"Never judge a book by its cover, Dana." Leo laughed, quoting a famous saying. "Never judge a book by its cover."

* * *

><p>We didn't stay long after that and not much of a goodbye was exchange...well, with the exception of Pole who seemed to have really ended up being attached to Daniel, even after just a very short while. Before we left, however, Leo gave Daniel and me a tribal-looking medallion. He didn't tell us what it was for, but he did say that it would come in use on our own timeline should we need help from them from there.<p>

Daniel and I looked at each other, an understanding dawning before us regarding what Leo had really given us and both Daniel and I knew, as we stepped into the portal, that it was going to be something we would find very useful soon.


	24. Arguments

**A Daniel X Fanfic**

**by Sakura Martinez**

* * *

><p><strong>Disclaimer:<strong>

I do not own Daniel X, or the characters in that story. James Patterson own the rights for them. What I do own is the idea for the fanfic and this fanfic itself.

* * *

><p><strong>Summary:<strong>

After surviving Void's Game, being reunited with his _drang_, and learning the truth about Void, Daniel X leaves with Khadagh to prepare for the imminent battle between Number One and Two. But when both Daniel and Khadagh disappears, The Prayer begins his revenge, seeking the aid of a mysterious group. Now, it's a race against time our heroes to put a stop to The Prayer's latest scheme before it's too late and it will take everything in their power to do so.

* * *

><p><strong>Daniel X: Out of Time<strong>

**Chapter Twenty-Three**

**Arguments**

* * *

><p>I was thankful—okay, <em>more<em> than thankful—when the portal dumped Daniel and me on familiar ground and on our own timeline. I was worried, for a moment after stepping through, that Daniel might make a mistake and we might end up further back or forward in time. Luckily, that wasn't the case.

"Dana!" Emma cried out after the initial shock of us suddenly appearing right in the middle of the dinner table subsided. "You're back! You're alright!"

The hug that Emma gave me would be enough to crush a Rhino even with its thick hide. I struggled to breathe and would have asked Daniel for help had he not been in the same death grip courtesy of _both_ Willy and Joe.

"Man, you two got us all worried!" I heard Joe said followed by him patting Daniel on the back so hard that I heard Daniel say _'Oomph_!' more than once.

"What happened to you guys?" Willy asked.

And so, in the house that we have lived in for the past few days—not counting when we were stranded in that other timeline—at Varjia, while Emma handed us plates and urged us to eat, we told the rest of our _drang_ what had happened to us, leaving the parts where both Daniel and I were intimate with each other, of course. I mean, there was no way I was going to tell them about _that_. And, thankfully, Daniel had some sense in him to keep it to himself as well.

After we were done narrating the events that happened on our side, Emma, Joe, and Willy took turns telling us what happened to them while we were whisked away to an alternate universe. Apparently, even with the lost of Undinogh's ship and the ship that had our other selves on it, the rest of the fleet continued to wage war on us. As such, the Varjians and or friends kept on fighting, not knowing what had happened to us but hoping, nonetheless, that we hadn't been killed, or worst, disintegrated.

The disappearance of their most valuable allies and assets also threw The Prayer and our time's Undinogh into a fit. With the other Undinogh and with the other Dana, Emma, Willy, and Joe, both of them thought that they could do anything and conquer any obstacle that would stand in their way—us included. After all, all those alternate selves—unlike Khadagh—didn't care about the consequences of their actions and all they cared about is running amuck. Chaos, they live in it, bask in it.

Now that they are gone, The Prayer and Undinogh had to do everything the way they did before. What's more, the Varjians did manage to put a large dent in the numbers of our enemies forcing the Prayer and Undinogh to turn their remaining fleet around earning us our first victory.

But, even though we did win. Our side also had casualties. We lost quite a number of Varjians and, although they are still willing to fight with us and for us, Emma was having a hard time accepting their decision for fearing that their specie would end up extinct.

With Emma arguing with her brother and Joe, as well as the rest of the Varjian leaders, and with The Prayer and Undinogh having retreated and have started rebuilding their army, both our side and our enemy's are at a stand-still.

Daniel shook his head, "This is wrong. Standing around here, doing nothing while The Prayer and Undinogh are getting their numbers up."

"What do you want us to do?" Emma asked, her voice slightly rising. "Do you want us to sacrifice the Varjians?"

"No, I want us to fight. To attack them while they're weak. You guys know that they wouldn't give us the same liberties that we're giving them right now." Daniel argued, trying to keep his voice calm. "If the Varjians want to fight, then let them. They _are _warriors after all. They revel in fighting."

"That's what we've been trying to tell her. What everyone's been trying to tell her." Willy told us, shaking his head. "We're wasting our time talking about this nonsense!"

"The lives of an alien race is _not_ nonsense!" Shouted Emma, furious at her brother for having even thought about that.

This was not the kind of thing I expected to find ourselves in. Not after all we had been through. The way everyone around me started to argue with one another, it made me fear for the future of our _drang_. Both Daniel and Willy, as well as Emma, had a point in their arguments but neither of them wanted to back down. I looked at Joe who looked at me and shrugged. I suppose he felt just as helpless as I felt. We needed to stop arguing among ourselves. Our time was running out. It would not take The Prayer and Undinogh forever to amass another army.

I tried to quell the arguments, but none of them were willing to listen. Our voices raised higher and higher, our discussion and debate turning into a shouting match. Even with Joe helping me, we couldn't stop them from arguing. In the end, I became so fed up with all the shouting and the noise that I did the only thing I was capable of doing at that time. I used my powers on my friends.

I shouted, as loud as I could, in everyone's head—with the exception on Joe who clearly didn't deserve it. That caused their shouting to turn into moans of agony as they tried to block my telling them to just 'shut up and calm down!'. I haven't used my abilities that way before, so I wasn't sure just how much of a pressure that placed their heads in, but, at that moment, I didn't care. I was tired and I wanted to take a bath and rest but all of their arguing was not only keeping me from getting my much needed R&R but was also keeping us from doing what must be done.

When I thought they had enough, I cut off my connection to them and let them breathe a sigh of relief.

"Damn, Dana," Willy groaned, keeping himself curled in the ground as he spoke, "you didn't need to do that."

"Yeah, I agree." Daniel said as he also didn't bother to stand up, keeping himself sprawled on the ground.

"Ugh, my head..." was Emma's complaint.

Joe looked at me with relief in his face as he said, "Well, I'm glad I didn't join in on their argument." He laughed and added, "Keeping quiet does have its merits sometimes."

"Now that I got all of your attention, let's discuss the matter at hand in a more civilized manner—one that doesn't involve you three yelling out your opinions at the same time." I told them. They didn't have any reason or any will power left to disagree with me.

The meeting that came after that took longer than I expected and wanted.

Emma explained her side once again, expressing her desire to preserve such an amazing alien race as the Varjians. She told us how she understood that the Varjians loved to fight and said that that was the main reason why she was really afraid that they might die out. She had seen first-hand the willingness of the Varjians to rise to the call of arms and, even though they were using their shadows to fight, she saw how doing so could still prove fatal for them. After all, Varjians weren't immortals and the more their shadows are attacked and beaten, the more they end up weakening and eventually they do die. She didn't want us and the war to be the cause of their extinction.

After hearing her side, Daniel reiterated the need to act as soon as possible, but not in a manner that was hasty and lacking in plans. We weren't on a suicide mission, after all. She told Emma that he really did understand her position.

"How about this then," Daniel asked Emma, "if we came up with a plan that doesn't put much strain on the Varjians and if the Varjians agree to this plan, will you at least let the whole thing go and work with us in fighting against The Prayer and Undinogh?"

Emma thought for a moment and cleared what Daniel was asking of her before she agreed with him. With that, our meeting finally adjourned. I couldn't have sighed a bigger sigh of relief if I wanted to when it did.

* * *

><p>I have never enjoyed a bath as much as I enjoyed the one I took soon after that meeting ended. I felt so alive, so light, so free as the dirt and grime were washed away from my body. The cool water was refreshing and the smell of my shampoo and my soap invigorated me. Being clean after such a long time made me feel giddy.<p>

After drying myself, I didn't bother to leave the comforts of my room and, instead, decided to lounge about in my bed. My legs and my arms were still aching from all the climbing, the walking, the running, and the crawling that we did. I was sure that they would be sore for a couple more days, though I hoped that the pain would be gone when we do start our attack on The Prayer and Undinogh's forces.

It didn't take long before I fell asleep and I ended up being dragged, once again, into a Dream Walk. I was about to give Khadagh a piece of my mind, thinking that he was the one who called me to such a state, only to find Maerwen standing before me. Luckily I managed to keep myself from shouting whatever profanity first came to mind or blurting out anything that was highly reserved for Khadagh's ears.

"M-Maerwen!" I squeaked as a greeting, all sensible thoughts fleeing me for a moment.

"I assume you weren't expecting me to drop by, Dana." She noted.

I had no intention of lying to her and so I said, "No. I was expecting someone else."

"The I apologize for surprising you."

"Ah, yeah. No. There's no need for an apology." I stammered. "So, why the sudden visit?"

Maerwen walked around me, as she did, flowers started growing around us. She was taking control of the dream—something that she liked to do when meeting with me.

"I came to check up on you. I couldn't get a hold of you for a while and feared the worst." She replied. "Even Willy and Emma's parents are worried. They have been nagging me incessantly on seeing if you are doing well."

I nodded, feeling grateful for their concern but also embarrassed that I totally forgot to let them know how Daniel and I were. I told her what had happened, the reason why she couldn't contact me. I even went so far as to tell her our budding plans of attacking The Prayer and Undinogh. She wasn't thrilled with the idea, even going out of her limb to tell me it was reckless.

"None of you are ready to face that threat head-on and a single victory must not give you the impression that you can do so," she argued. "You all still lack training. And, if what you say is true and Khadagh is no longer with us then that would pose a problem with training Daniel X as well. You all have to abandon your quest for glory and return to Terra Firma at once! Resume your respective trainings and when the time finally comes that you are ready, that is the right time to do such foolishness as attack the base of two of the universe's most dangerous aliens!"

"You're right, Maerwen, we are untrained but we aren't fighting this war alone. Like I've told you, there are others who are willing to fight with us and we have a great chance to finally put a stop to the tyranny and plans of Number 1 and Number 2." I said. "There is no better time to attack than now when _their_ forces are low on numbers."

"But what you and your _drang_ are thinking is suicide! There is no way you can win!" She sounded so desperate for me to agree with her. But, I couldn't...even though I knew that the words she was saying was true. We really weren't ready but we didn't have much of a choice either. Who knows when another opportunity such as that would come again?

"I'm sorry, Maerwen, but we won't really know just how far we could go until we give it a try." I told her as I slowly let my consciousness wake, "It may be reckless...no, it _is_ reckless, but we have to take this chance."

And then I woke up with a start.


	25. Our Target: Undinogh!

**A Daniel X Fanfic **

**by Sakura Martinez**

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Notes:<strong>

****This is going to be a pretty short chapter. That's the "bad" news. The "good" news is that we're nearing the end. Only a couple of chapters (and by a couple, I mean less than ten) left before we conclude this fanfic. So, um, hope you guys enjoy this chapter and don't forget to review, okay? Thanks!

* * *

><p><strong>Disclaimer: <strong>

I do not own Daniel X, or the characters in that story. James Patterson own the rights for them. What I do own is the idea for the fanfic and this fanfic itself.

* * *

><p><strong>Summary: <strong>

After surviving Void's Game, being reunited with his _drang_, and learning the truth about Void, Daniel X leaves with Khadagh to prepare for the imminent battle between Number One and Two. But when both Daniel and Khadagh disappears, The Prayer begins his revenge, seeking the aid of a mysterious group. Now, it's a race against time our heroes to put a stop to The Prayer's latest scheme before it's too late and it will take everything in their power to do so.

* * *

><p><strong>Daniel X: Out of Time<strong>

**Chapter Twenty-Four**

**Our Target: Undinogh!**

* * *

><p>The plan came together quite unexpectedly as the days went by.<p>

While Daniel and Emma went to meet with the Varjian elders, the rest of us decided to resume our training putting to mind what our training regimens were before. I had told them, the morning after Maerwen and I had our little discussion, what my mentor told me and they have all agreed to call their own mentors and speak to them, promising to train while we wait for our time to strike. Their mentors were not as happy as mine. All them were in agreement that what we were doing was foolish.

Windsor and Graciella—Willy and Emma's parents—though happy to hear that all of us were alright, shared the same sentiment as our mentors with regards to staging an attack against the two most dangerous aliens in the known universe. They instructed us to wait for them; to not do anything until they have met up with us. Though we promised we wouldn't, we knew that we didn't really mean it.

I can see how bored Joe was. Willy, on the other hand, merely looked like it didn't matter to him as he trained with his weapons. I tried to keep my mind blank and meditate, but I was too distracted. We didn't know what sort of news Daniel and Emma would bring. I hated the wait.

I could have went along with them, but I didn't think I would be able to sit still there while they deliberate. I was also still a bit freaked out by what the Varjians could do and I liked to keep my distance from them, if possible.

But I didn't have much choice but to wait. Time seemed to slow down, though, and my poor attempt at meditating did nothing to make me feel that that wasn't the case. The day wore on and it was only during sunset that Daniel and Emma returned. No Varjians were with them, which made me wonder if the meeting went bad.

I rushed to Daniel as Willie and Joe both dusted their pants and walked towards Daniel and Emma as well. We couldn't wait for much longer to hear the news and we couldn't place the expression on both Daniel and Emma's faces to get an idea on how it went.

"How did it go?" I asked, even before I reached them.

Daniel and Emma looked at each other, a look passed between the two of them before Emma started, "Well..."

* * *

><p>Daniel and Emma narrated what happened during the meeting, although they didn't mention anything big until all of us were gathered in the living room, a sandstorm raging outside.<p>

Both of our friends told us how the meeting could have ended much earlier, with the Varjians and Emma coming to a compromise (the Varjians will not force everyone to fight. As per their agreement, the young and the elderly of their people would stay behind). However, the Varjian scouts whom the elders have placed in the surrounding area caught a signal and, using one of Joe's gadgets, managed to hack the signal and the message that it contained.

_Lord Undinogh will be riding in a small fleet to meet with potential allies._

That was what part of the message said.

"Part?" Joe asked, "You mean there's more?"

Daniel nodded, "The Varjians are working hard on it with the _decrypter _they said you lent them. We may need you to help them to speed it up."

Joe would have headed out then and there but the sandstorm stopped him and, instead, he promised to head there as soon as the storm lessens.

"Daniel and the Varjian Chieftain came up with a plan because of that message," Emma told us. "We're sure that when the encryption for the rest of the message has been cracked, that we will find the location where Undinogh is supposed to meet their allies. Once we have that location, we can stage an ambush on him. Taking Undinogh down will make it easier for us to fight The Prayer in the future. The attack will also deal a massive blow to their morale and their forces...if we're successful."

"Wouldn't they be suspecting something like that?" Willy asked.

"Maybe," Daniel admitted. "But Undinogh seems to be someone who's very sure of himself and his abilities. He's over-confident, thinking that he can take on anything that comes at him and I am willing to bet that his hubris has doubled ever since he met his alternate future self."

"How can you be sure of that?" I asked. I didn't want us making plans just because of Daniel's assumptions and gut-feelings...even though that had served him alright before.

"The part of the message that we have deciphered says it," Emma shrugged. "Undinogh is riding a small fleet to meet with their allies. That shows his over-confidence."

"And we can bet that he's not doing it because he doesn't want to intimidate those potential allies of theirs," Daniel added. "That's just not the way Undinogh and The Prayer roll. They want to flaunt their strength and power whenever they can."

That did make sense and that did sound like what The Prayer that we all know and hate would do. I couldn't say the same for Undinogh. Unlike Daniel, who had probably learned everything there was to know about the second most dangerous alien in the universe, I didn't have any knowledge regarding him.

I guess that was the reason why, after telling us all about the message, Daniel took from his pocket The List and laid it down in front of us with Undinogh's details listed, though those details didn't offer much. It didn't tell us what his weakness was, which was what was most important.

Of course, I should have known we didn't need to worry. Daniel told us what Khadagh—who had fought with Undinogh before—had told him.

"We all know that his impervious to attacks that are in the form of water," Daniel began. "Using any water-based attack on him would be useless, and also trying to out-gun him."

To that Willy complained. He was our gunner, of course.

"Sorry, Willy, but that's just how Undinogh is." Daniel said, though he really didn't need to apologize. "When Khadagh fought with him, before he met us and even during The Game, Khadagh told me that he didn't resort to creating a weapon that can shoot projectiles. He told me that it wasn't going to do him good to fight it out with Undinogh using guns since Undinogh was one of the few aliens who can out-gun him. He said Undinogh's accuracy when it comes to long-ranged weapons can even out-rank yours, Willy. So, no. No long-ranged weapons when we fight him."

"So, no guns and projectiles. What else do we need to know about him?" I asked. I didn't want to complain the way Willy did, even though it also meant that I would, most likely, not be firing away anything at Undinogh. I didn't like it but it allowed me to focus on keeping my _drang_ safe under a barrier.

Daniel nodded and went on sharing with us what he knew, "Since he came from a planet that is ninety-percent water, he isn't used to solid ground and he can easily be unbalanced as long as he isn't suspecting it. He's also not very good with hand-to-hand combat. And we're talking about kicks and punches here. An outright brawl. Khadagh said he fights dirty, and he could spit poisonous ink on your eyes if you give him the chance."

"Poisonous ink?" Emma asked, her voice trembling. I don't know if it was because of the ink poisonous or because she could imagine it, as I did—that saliva-like, black liquid shooting out of Undinogh's mouth. Maybe it was both.

"That's what Khadagh said," Daniel thought for a moment, before adding. "Though, he said he such an attack hadn't been used on him yet. The only reason he knows of Undinogh's 'spitting habit' was because he saw it."

"Is there an antidote for the poison? How powerful is the poison anyway?" Joe asked, even as he began typing away on his Symbiote computer, probably looking into the whole poison-spit-thing.

"I think so. Khadagh didn't seem bothered by it when he told me." Daniel said, then he shrugged.

"Alright," Joe said. "I'll look into that." Then he turned towards Emma and said, "I'll need your help making the antidote if I do find anything about it."

Emma nodded. It wasn't like she was going to pass up any chance to be with Joe. Willy didn't seem to like that his sister and Joe had something to work together on. I forced myself not to laugh at that. I didn't want Willy to go crazy, after all. I wasn't the only one who had begun to notice that Emma and Joe had long discarded the subtlety of whatever relationship going on between them.

I have yet to know from Emma what really is going on between them, though.

Of course, now was not the time for that.

"So, from what you said about the brawl, we wouldn't be needing weapons then?" Willy asked.

"Against Undinogh? No. Swords aren't an option, too." Daniel replied, looking apologetic again. "But, when we're trying to take over their ship? We're going to need all the powerful weapons that we can get our hands on."

The briefing on Undinogh's abilities and his vulnerabilities lasted well into the night and by the time it ended, we were all so sleepy and tired that none of us bothered to even take a bath, change our clothes, and go to our own rooms. We just let ourselves fall asleep in the living room.

Daniel and Joe left early the next morning to help with the decryption.

The idiot didn't even bothered to wake me up before he left.


	26. The Dreadnaught

**A Daniel X Fanfic**

**by Sakura Martinez**

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Notes:<strong>

I apologize! I made a mistake with missing one chapter! It has been fixed now (added the 'Arguments' chapter before the 'Our Target: Undinogh!' one). Anyways, this fanfic is coming to and end now. Probably will upload the few remaining chapters within the week so that I can upload the Prologue for Armageddon. Anyways, sorry for that mishap again, and I hope you guys enjoy this chapter.

* * *

><p><strong>Disclaimer:<strong>

I do not own Daniel X, or the characters in that story. James Patterson own the rights for them. What I do own is the idea for the fanfic and this fanfic itself.

* * *

><p><strong>Summary:<strong>

After surviving Void's Game, being reunited with his _drang_, and learning the truth about Void, Daniel X leaves with Khadagh to prepare for the imminent battle between Number One and Two. But when both Daniel and Khadagh disappears, The Prayer begins his revenge, seeking the aid of a mysterious group. Now, it's a race against time our heroes to put a stop to The Prayer's latest scheme before it's too late and it will take everything in their power to do so.

* * *

><p><strong>Daniel X: Out of Time<strong>

**Chapter Twenty-Five**

**The Dreadnaught**

* * *

><p>With both Joe and Daniel helping out the Varjians, decrypting the message that was embedded in the signal intercepted by the Varjian scouts didn't take long. They didn't breeze through it either. Daniel told me when he returned, hours after he left, that even though they cracked the message an hour after their arrival (thanks to Joe), they decided to recheck it and see if they didn't make a mistake. They didn't.<p>

What the signal contained was the following message:

_We will be heading at the designated spot._

_Lord Undinogh will be riding with a small fleet to meet potential allies._

_Their destination will be sector sixty-seven-gamma-zeta-five._

_Time of arrival will be oh-eighteen-hours on the 23rd moon cycle._

_Open all relays and secure all communication channels._

_This is as ordered by The Prayer._

We had our target. We had our destination. We had also been handed down his time of arrival. It wasn't going to be hard which part of sector 67GZ5—which planet—Undinogh was going to meet their potential allies in. All we had to do was follow the open relays and the secured communication lines along those relays to find him. It may not sound easy, but for Joe, it was going to be a piece of cake.

We had everything we need and we still have ample time to get ready and get a move on. The 23rd moon cycle—according to the Varjians who apparently uses the same form of calendar—was still three days away.

But, even though we had so much time, we didn't waste any of it by dawdling away. As soon as we got everything we need, as soon as all the war-plans have been set and everyone knew what their roles were going to be, all of us—Daniel, Willy, Joe, Emma, myself, and the Varjians—all made our way to the relay station where we will be ambushing Undinogh's fleet.

* * *

><p>We got there a day before Undinogh's scheduled arrival. Though we already found the planet he was heading to—which was the size of Pluto but with the same kind of ability to sustain life as Earth, a planet the color of blue and yellow—we didn't land on it. For us, that would be a bad idea. That was the planet that was thinking of allying itself with Undinogh and The Prayer, which means it was a potential enemy of ours and even though we have The List and Joe's Symbiote to tell us what we want to know about the planet, we still didn't land there.<p>

Instead, we waited for Undinogh's fleet to pass through the relay station. Once it does, that was the time we were going to launch our attack. An attack that would be spearheaded by the Varjians and their shadow clones.

Our plan was simple. Get the Varjians to engage the enemy's fleet and, while that's happening, we board the ship, find Undinogh and defeat him, all the while wrecking havoc. Daniel had instructed Willy to "not hold back" on that last part. He didn't mind if Willy ended up destroying the whole of Undinogh's ship. I was even betting that's what Daniel wanted.

Waiting for Undinogh's fleet to appear wasn't as unbearable as I thought it would be. Sure, I was feeling anxious and a little bit frightened at the prospect of facing Number Two but I was also looking forward to our victory—because I knew that was what was waiting for us at the end of the day: our victory.

I stayed by our ship's cockpit with Emma, even when the guys were running around and making sure that everything was set. But, unlike before, the guys didn't ask us to just relax. We both chose it. The reason was that we had a feeling we both would be using our abilities till the end of this battle—me with my protective barriers and Emma with her affinity to earth.

With not having anything to do, I decided to tease Emma and maybe find something out about her and Joe.

"W-Why are you asking that _now_?" Emma stammered her reply. Her face began to turn red. "This is hardly the time to ask me that!"

"Not really, now's a good time as any to tell me what the real deal is between you two." I replied, smirking as Emma began to fidget. "Before Daniel and I got sucked into that portal, you two had been close...but not as close as you are both now. Did your brother finally gave his blessings?"

"N-No!" Emma replied. "And you're making it sound like Joe and I are already planning to...to..."

Emma couldn't even finish the sentence, but I knew what she was about to say. Or, at least, what she was trying to say.

"To get married?" I asked, a hint of laughter in my question.

The mention getting married to someone caused Emma's face to turn even redder. I wouldn't have thought it possible until I've seen it. I mean, she was already pretty red in the face before I mentioned the 'M' word to her. It was kind of funny.

I couldn't help but laughing at the expression on Emma's face.

"W-W-What about you and Daniel then?" She asked, trying to turn the table of awkwardness.

Still chuckling I asked, "What about us? Our relationship's not a secret, Em."

"Y-Yeah, but," Emma tried to think of something, the look on her face was a dead give-away. She sighed when she couldn't find anything to throw at me. "Fine. I give in. You're not wrong, but you're not exactly right either."

I stopped laughing then, confusion masking my face. "What do you mean?"

"W-Well, Joe finally had the courage to talk to my brother about, uh, us," she began.

"That's great then." I said, smiling at her. "What did Willy say?"

An annoyed expression took over Emma's face, "He said that the next time Joe mentions anything about dating me, he will put a hole on his head and would he wouldn't even so much as blink while doing so." Emma then began pacing, "I swear, my brother drives me crazy! He doesn't have the right to tell anyone that or get into the business of who I want to be with!"

"Well, he's your brother and he _is_ Willy, what do you expect?" I said, "So, Joe backed down?"

Emma's face turned red again, "Um, not exactly."

"Oh?" My lips curled into a smile again. Her story was getting interesting.

"Joe was furious with Willy, they didn't talk for a couple of days. Those two idiots gave me a hard time." I didn't say anything, letting Emma continue with her story. "What happened next was something I didn't expect Joe to do."

"Okay," I said, I was at the edge of my seat, "This is clearly getting interesting."

Emma then turned to me, her eyes burning with intensity as she said, "You _have_ to promise me you're not going to tell anyone about this. Not Daniel. You are not going to show any signs that you know about this even to my brother and Joe."

"Okay...?"

"No, Dana. You have to promise. Like, really mean it, too!"

"Okay, okay," I said, raising my hands up in surrender. "I promise, just out with it already!"

"Um, Joe, kind of, ended up asking Willy for the Duel..." She muttered, not looking at me.

"A duel?" I asked, wondering why this would be such a secret, until it hit me. "You can't mean—! Not _that_ duel!"

Emma nodded meekly.

My jaw dropped to the floor. Figuratively.

I couldn't believe Joe—_our _Joe-Joe— would have the guts to stand up to Willy, of all people, and demand to have the Duel with him. The Duel, you see, is—as the name suggest—a battle between two parties. Back in Alapak Nor, the Duel is requested when one wishes to ask for a person's hand in marriage but someone from the family on either parties objects. It's sort of a way to settle things. If the person who issued the challenge wins, whatever he or she wants—whether to have permission to marry or be married, or to stop a marriage from happening—he or she gets.

So, Joe asking Willy to have the Duel with him was, basically, Joe challenging Willy for the right to marry Emma. That was, without a doubt, huge! Especially since all of us were not in _that _age yet. We weren't considered adults yet—not until we reached the age of 18, which was still a year from then.

"Holy—!" I was up on my feet when that sank in. But even before I could say anything, Emma placed a hand on my shoulder to calm me down. Because, apparently, her story wasn't finished yet.

"So, anyway, Willy accepted the challenge...even though he knew that we aren't really eligible for that yet, and, well, since this is my brother we're talking about." She went on. "I was furious, of couse. Especially since he didn't ask me first about it. He just went off and decided that on his own. They didn't even wait for a day, or a week. They fought right then and there. I thought I was going to have a heart attack."

"I can imagine," I muttered. It was true. Even if Emma wanted to stop the Duel, she can't. She's not allowed to. "So, who won?"

Emma sighed, "Surprisingly, Joe did."

I couldn't keep the laughter from erupting. Eighteen or not, Emma was engaged. And to Joe, no less!

* * *

><p>Daniel caught me grinning like an idiot when he showed up in my room, unannounced.<p>

He smiled at the sight of me, "What's with the huge smile on your face? Did something good happen?"

"You can say that," I said. Though when he asked me what it was, I kept my promised and kept my mouth closed. He tried prying the information from me, but I stood my ground. I didn't want Emma to get mad at me and think me untrustworthy.

"Fine, don't tell me then," Daniel pouted as he, unceremoniously, dumped himself on my bed. I shook my head.

"Pout all you want, Daniel," I said, sitting next to him. "That won't work. Not this time."

Daniel grinned then shrugged, "It was worth the try." Then he went all serious again and said, "I'm glad to see you smiling, though. I thought I'd see you somber again."

"Because of tomorrow?" I asked, choosing not to look at him.

There was a couple of seconds of silence before Daniel answered, "Yeah."

I turned to him, "That's strange. Whatever happened to the confidence you always have when dealing with the aliens on The List? I was sure you're going to say something like: 'we got this', 'Undinogh's nothing', or 'he's just a stepping stone to getting closer to finishing off The Prayer."

Daniel laughed, "Am I really like that?"

"You were," I told him, flopping down next to him. "At least, that's what the other Dana—the one you used to create from your imagination—told me. She even warned me about it."

"She did? Wait, what else did you two talked about?" The look of surprise on Daniel's face made me laugh. When he let us meet with his created versions of us a while back, I guess I never really told him what me and his version of me talked about. I wasn't going to tell him the whole of that conversation, but I was willing to share _some _of it.

"A bunch of other stuff, mostly about you charging in without thinking and letting your emotions get the best of you," I replied. "But, that's beside the point now. I'm just glad you're not losing your head over this."

"A lot of things are at a stake now." Daniel said. "I'm not saying that it wasn't like that before. It's just...now, I have to think about the people who are fighting along side me. You—and the rest of the _drang_—are real people, not just figments of my imagination. I can't just clap you or the others away if things end up going wrong. I can't just think of keeping myself safe. I have to think of everyone. And that...that sorts of keep you from doing a lot of stupid things. It makes you want to plan more and hope that everything goes according to that plan, you know?"

"I figured just as much," I admitted. "But, we can't argue that tomorrow maybe the hardest battle you'll ever fight, Daniel."

"And it will be the first real battle we'll have to fight with all of us together." Daniel added. Then he admitted to me what it was he was really worried about; what it was that was nagging at him. "I just hope it doesn't up like the same way it did back at that final level in The Game."

* * *

><p>Undinogh's fleet came just in time. And true to what the intercepted message said, all he had was a small fleet—like, his main ship (which we learned was named 'Dreadnaught') and only four smaller convoy ships were with him. Admittedly, I didn't think the message meant the fleet was <em>that<em> small. I was expecting a couple of armada at least.

"Are we sure Undinogh's on-board that ship?" Daniel asked, all of us were gathered at the Bonvoyage's war room. Huge monitors and holographic computers were turned on, all of them showing reports on the various stations and teams we had scattered in the immediate space.

Joe turned his seat around. He was wearing a headset as he replied, "A hundred percent positive, Chief. That's Undinogh's ship, alright."

Joe has, also, taken a liking to calling Daniel 'Chief'—something that Daniel didn't like but couldn't keep Joe from calling him.

Daniel nodded, then turned to Willy, "Is everyone in position?"

Willy nodded, though he didn't turn his chair around to look at Daniel as he spoke with him, "They're just waiting for the signal."

"Right," Daniel sounded nervous, "Let's do this then."

"What?" Emma asked, trying to lighten up the mood, "No inspiring speech that would arouse us to fight and all that?"

"Stop teasing him, Emma," I said, even though I was smiling myself.

"Um, yeah. Let's just go and get this over with," Daniel said.

As far as rousing speeches went, that wasn't his best. But, we all just let it go. We didn't have time to joke around with each other.

After that, Daniel gave the signal and the attack began. The Varjians did their part, using their shadows to create an illusion that enveloped the ship. We could only imagine the panic that set down upon Undinogh's men, his crew. I even wondered if they thought they were betrayed by the people they were supposed to meet with.

The Varjians held the ships at bay as the five of us sneaked past the lax security that Undinogh had surrounding his ship. With Joe's Symbiote computer, he hacked the systems to allow us to enter without letting an alarm set off. Once inside, he downloaded (by hacking through the ship's mainframe) a layout of the ship, to make it easier for us to find Undinogh. All of that took less than a minute, a record even for us.

We continued sneaking as we made our way through. It wouldn't do us any good to meet the aliens on-board the Dreadnaught head-on. Sure, we can probably lessen the number of alien scums out their in the universe but we would also be risking ourselves, tiring ourselves, and we can't afford that, not when we have to face the second most dangerous alien on the face of the known universe. The success of our mission relied heavily on how much of our powers we could use when the time came. Out of the five of us, only Joe—and, from time to time Emma, especially when she's using her powers to move the metal around to create a hidden path for us—who could freely use their powers.

The aliens on the ship were a rowdy and frighteningly-looking bunch. They wore armor emblazoned with spikes that could easily cause an injury—intentionally or not. There were aliens who looked like warthogs walking on their hind legs. Aliens who looked like a cross between a crab and an octopus. Aliens who looked feral. Hairy aliens; scaly aliens, slimy aliens, jelly-looking aliens. There were, basically, all sorts of aliens and all of them were armed and dangerous.

They were moving in a flurry, trying to escape the trap that the Varjians had sprung on them while also trying to kick start their engines again—though I doubt they would be able to do much with their engines, after all, Joe and Emma both worked together to make sure to render their engines useless. What they were doing made it a little bit easier for us, though we didn't knew how much time we have before Undinogh just decide to use one of the escape pods and runaway. That was something we couldn't afford.

We kept on following the map—which, by the way, was pretty detailed until we finally ended up in a large hallway.

"You guys just need to go through that door then up a couple of staircase, down another corridor," Joe said, nodding towards the door that was at the far end of the room. "The door farthest from the right, on that corridor...That's supposed to be the cockpit. According to the data I've gathered from the mainframe, that's the last place Undinogh was before we attacked."

"Escape routes?" Willy asked.

Joe issued a couple of one-worded commands on his Symbiote before answering, "The escape shuttles over there," he pointed at the door opposite the cockpit." The escape pods are somewhere on the lower level of the ship. If Undinogh plans to escape—and he hadn't tried to, according to the mainframe—he'd have to pass through us." then he turned to Daniel and asked, "Do we stick to the plan?"

Daniel nodded. "Let's hope nothing goes wrong."

Joe nodded before running to the direction of where the escape shuttles were supposed to be with. He then stuck his Symbiote on the door's panel and began to hack it.

We were going to go through with what we had planned. At least, that was what I thought, before Daniel turned to me and spoke.

"You better keep him safe," Daniel told me, placing a hand on my shoulder, "We can take Undinogh with the three of us."

"Wait," I said, stepping away from him to get a better look at him, "You're leaving me on _guard_ duty? Are you serious?"

"Yes." Daniel nodded. "We have to make sure Undinogh doesn't escape and we have to make sure that we don't have any casualties...at least, when it comes to our _drang_. We can handle fighting with Undinogh, you can keep both yourself and Joe safe. It's logical."

"I can hold Undinogh at bay," I told him, referring to my psychic powers. "And you want me to just create a shield for us?"

"You can hold him at bay if he tries to escape," Daniel said, turning around. Then, as if I wasn't in the hall with him any more, he spoke to Emma and Willy and they set out to fight with Undinogh. Just the three of them. I wanted to accidentally punch him...on purpose...


	27. A Trap

**A Daniel X Fanfic**

**by Sakura Martinez**

* * *

><p><strong>Disclaimer:<strong>

I do not own Daniel X, or the characters in that story. James Patterson own the rights for them. What I do own is the idea for the fanfic and this fanfic itself.

* * *

><p><strong>Summary:<strong>

After surviving Void's Game, being reunited with his _drang_, and learning the truth about Void, Daniel X leaves with Khadagh to prepare for the imminent battle between Number One and Two. But when both Daniel and Khadagh disappears, The Prayer begins his revenge, seeking the aid of a mysterious group. Now, it's a race against time our heroes to put a stop to The Prayer's latest scheme before it's too late and it will take everything in their power to do so.

* * *

><p><strong>Daniel X: Out of Time<strong>

**Chapter Twenty-Six**

**A Trap**

* * *

><p>I was still annoyed by Daniel's decision to leave me behind with Joe. It wasn't that I didn't care about what happens to Joe, I do...especially since he is already engaged with Emma...but I wanted to be able to help with bringing Undinogh to justice. I wanted to fight...not wait around for them. I couldn't help but think how it made much more sense for Daniel to ask Willy to guard Joe rather than me. Though it was still obvious for me that Willy was not happy about losing to Joe with the Duel, I was sure Willy would still do everything in his power to ensure that no harm comes to our tech-master friend.<p>

"Sorry," Joe said, breaking me from my reverie, "I should have spoken up to Daniel. I should have told him I didn't need the backup."

"What?"

"You wanted to fight, right? For the record, I do agree with you. You should be in that fight, not out here. Your powers are more useful there, after all." Joe explained. "But, I can see where Daniel's thinking from."

"Where he's thinking from? I don't understand." I said. Although I have seen Joe work before, I was still amazed by the proficiency of his work, even when someone or something was bothering him.

"You can look at it this way: he wants to keep you out of the battle because he wants to kill three birds with one stone—make sure someone's around to keep me alive while I do this, keep _you_ safe, and have a contingency plan should Undinogh escape—" Joe said as his Symbiote and the door's control panel simultaneously beeped and kept on beeping. He paused what he was doing for a while to look at me and continue with whatever it was he wanted to say, "or, he doesn't really see you doing much help over there."

I glared at him.

Joe quickly added, "Which, of course, I doubt was the real reason. Anyways, Daniel's doing what he just think is right. Let's face it, he would rather get himself in a hell of a trouble than see any harm come to you." He looked away then blushed, "If I were on his shoes, I would do the same for Emma."

* * *

><p>"I'm impressed," a younger-looking Undinogh said as he faced the three Alparians before him, though he remained casually seated, his back towards his three would-be assassins. "I didn't believe you all would come this far to get me. It is rather unexpected that a flimsy band such as yours would manage to do something like this."<p>

Daniel knew Undinogh was mocking them. There wasn't much damage on the ship. The engine was merely blocked, there were no casualties on their side and his, so Undinogh didn't have anything to weigh those words down on.

"You knew we were coming," Emma suddenly realized.

Undinogh's lips curved into a small smile, his incisors showing. "What makes you think that?"

"It just came to me. The lack of security and resistance you had while we were making our way here, the small fleet, how easy it was for Joe to override your security systems..." Emma began enumerating. "I thought that we just got lucky, but with how you're acting now, it seems we were mistaken."

Willy then pointed his gun at the chair where Undinogh was sitting. He still remembered what Daniel said, about Undinogh being impervious to such an attack, but he wanted to do something. If what Emma had said was true, Willy knew—as much as he knew Daniel did—that Undinogh has something up his sleeves. Talking would be pointless and a waste of time. It would be better to just kill the bastard and get the whole thing over with before things turned out of their favor.

"Is that really a smart thing to do, William?" Undinogh asked.

"Don't call me that!" Willy growled, ready to push the trigger.

Under normal circumstances, Daniel would have laughed at someone calling Willy "William", but they weren't in any normal circumstance. He readied himself, firmly believing that if Khadagh could go toe-to-toe with Number 2, he could too.

But, before Willy could fire his gun, Undinogh jumped from his seat and moved towards him. He was faster than anyone Daniel had ever encountered before in his life—and that was saying something. No one had even batted an eyelash when Willy was sent flying backwards, hitting the metallic doors of the cockpit so loud that it sounded as if a canon was fired.

Emma, although worried for the well-being of her brother, chose, instead, to try to unbalance Undinogh. She used her powers to try and tilt the ground but Undinogh merely leaped high in the air as she was doing so. And then he unsheathed his sword and began to head straight for Emma.

Daniel, guessing what Undinogh's intention was before he acted, quickly rushed to Emma's side, calling forth a sword of his own making. Their swords clash and the sound of metal against metal could be heard. Daniel gritted his teeth as he forced himself to meet Undinogh's attacks, blow for blow. They were strong and his arms shook with each parry he made with his sword.

At that moment, Daniel knew he made the right decision in asking Dana to stay behind with Joe even though it made the battle harder without the use of her powers.

* * *

><p>The sound of an explosion surprised me and Joe, so much so that we almost jumped. The sound came from the direction where Daniel, Willy, and Emma had gone. The direction of the cockpit.<p>

I looked over at Joe, a worried expression on my face. He looked at me with the same expression on his face.

"Do you think—?" I couldn't bear to finish the question, my voice quavering as I asked.

Joe shook his head. "I guess that would be Willy doing, uh, Willy-stuff."

He then turned his attention back at his Symbiote, but I could see his hands were shaking and he was sweating. He was as worried as I was, maybe even more. Still, as I looked at the control panel, I can't help but wonder what was taking him so long. The other control panels were easily hacked, but this one was taking quite a while.

"Why is it taking you so long?" I finally asked.

A frown became visible, once again, on Joe's face as he spoke, "I don't know. I know I've been hacking it the right way. It should've opened a while ago. This door's just like the rest of the doors we've been through. There isn't anything on it that should be keeping me from hacking it open, but it's keeping me from doing just that."

"And you didn't bother telling me about this sooner because?" I asked, trying not to sound as irate as I felt.

"Because that won't change anything," came Joe's answer. "You'll just be as pissed off as you are now. And, you'd probably say something that would make it seem like going to Daniel and the others is a good idea. Well, I'm not falling for that."

_I hadn't even thought of that. _I wanted to tell him that, but I knew that arguing with Joe at that moment wouldn't be a good idea. He needed to focus, I knew that. And cornering him and asking him all the questions that were in my mind, wasn't going to help. And so, I decided to keep quiet and to think of anything besides the fact that the door wouldn't open and that the explosions that seemed to originate from the cockpit was still happening, the pauses between each explosion was slowly disappearing.

I looked over at the direction where Daniel and the others headed off to. I wanted to follow them, but knew I had to stand my ground. It was torture standing there waiting for _something_ and being unable to help my friends.

* * *

><p>Daniel clapped his hands, and within seconds, his and his <em>drang'<em>s heads were all secured with oxygen masks to keep them from suffocating as Undinogh's attacks have created holes in the ship, sucking the oxygen away. Had it not been for them being Alparians, they would have exploded into a thousand gooey mess already.

Though he, himself, did not have the oxygen mask, Undinogh seem unperturbed by the lack of oxygen. Daniel wasn't surprised. What Daniel _was_ surprised about, was the method Undinogh used to deprive them of oxygen. He hadn't expected Number Two to sacrifice his own ship just to take them down—because, ultimately, that was what's going to happen.

Daniel's brow creased with worry. He knew he had to end the battle before that happens. Or, should the danger prove to be unavoidable, he wanted to at least tell Dana and Joe what was going to happen.

But Undinogh proved to be difficult. Even with the knowledge bestowed to him by Khadagh, Daniel was having a hard time going toe-to-toe with Undinogh. No matter what Daniel did, whatever melee weapon he summoned and created, Undinogh knew how to avoid, parry, and survive through it all. Even with Willy and Emma doing their best trying to distract and unbalance their common enemy, everything seemed so...futile.

Undinogh laughed, "What's wrong, Daniel X? Is that the best you can do?"

"Why is it," panted Daniel even as his grip on the twin swords he had summoned tightened. "that every time we're on the verge of losing someone goes and asks us that when they very well know that the answer is 'no'?"

"Is it now?" Laughed Undinogh who felt as though the young Alien Hunter and his friends were merely bluffing.

"Yeah, if you've done your homework, you'd know that Daniel always have something up his sleeves." Emma supplied.

Daniel didn't know if he should thank Emma for saying something like that or not. In truth, Daniel was running out of options and Undinogh was right in calling his bluff. The pressure of coming up with something—and fast—was quickly weighing on Daniel, who looked at Willy for support and suggestion.

Willy met his gaze and a knowing glance passed between the two. At once, Daniel knew his wingman had something up _his_ sleeves.

_Let's just hope whatever your planning works, Willy_.

* * *

><p>Red lights began flashing, as well as a warning. I didn't get what the first part was. I was too caught up with thinking that I didn't hear it much later.<p>

"Warning," the automated voice said. "Oxygen levels dropping. Hull breached. Warning. Oxygen levels dropping. Hull breached."

It kept saying the same warning over and over again.

"Daniel," both Joe and I said in unison. It was the only plausible reason after all. Daniel did something or another to create an oxygen leak.

"What is he thinking?" I couldn't help but ask.

"I don't know what it is, but we have to hurry and get this door down." Joe said, then he stopped poking with his Symbiote and took out the gun that Willy had given him for protection.

I raised an eyebrow at him, even though I knew what he planned to do. I sighed, drawing my own gun and pointing it at the same console that Joe had tried to hack moments before.

"And what if this doesn't work?" I asked.

Joe grinned, "Then we can go crazy with your powers and just bring the whole door down."

That was a good enough answer for me. I can probably draw out a lot of frustration to power-up my psychic powers, though without knowing what material the door was made and how thick it really is, I don't have a clue to how strong I should push it...if it _does_ come to that.

"Ready?" Joe asked, as if it was the most-gentlemanly question he could pose at that moment.

I nodded.

Joe counted down from three and we both took aim, prayed that our stunt would work, and then shoot the door panel. The panel fizzled out of life, but it did not open the door. It didn't even give off an alarm—something that a forceful entry should have done.

"Well, that was a bust." Joe couldn't keep himself from stating the obvious. "Dana?"

I nodded, knowing what it was that needed to be done now. "One force-push, coming right up."

We should have realized that something was clearly wrong when the alarm didn't sound for the door. Maybe if we did, things would have gone differently...


	28. Gifts and Choices

**A Daniel X Fanfic **

**by Sakura Martinez**

* * *

><p><strong>Disclaimer: <strong>

I do not own Daniel X, or the characters in that story. James Patterson own the rights for them. What I do own is the idea for the fanfic and this fanfic itself.

* * *

><p><strong>Summary: <strong>

After surviving Void's Game, being reunited with his _drang_, and learning the truth about Void, Daniel X leaves with Khadagh to prepare for the imminent battle between Number One and Two. But when both Daniel and Khadagh disappears, The Prayer begins his revenge, seeking the aid of a mysterious group. Now, it's a race against time our heroes to put a stop to The Prayer's latest scheme before it's too late and it will take everything in their power to do so.

* * *

><p><strong>Daniel X: Out of Time<strong>

**Chapter Twenty-Seven**

**Gifts and Choices**

* * *

><p>"Dana!" I heard Joe shout my name before I felt his hand on my back and on my forearm. "Dana, can you hear me?"<p>

I groaned. My vision was blurry and I could feel blood pouring from my nostrils making it hard for me to breathe. My head pounded and my body felt heavy. I did hear Joe, even as he repeatedly called my name and asked me that question. Thankfully, he didn't ask me if I was alright. I would have punched him...or tried to...had he asked that absurd question.

I didn't know what had happened, how I ended up sprawled on the far end of the hallway, far from the damn door that I was supposed to break down. All I remembered was pushing with all my will to bring the door down and finally get me and Joe through to the emergency escape pod. And then, there was this blinding flash of light and I felt as though someone just tried to fry my brain while punching me at the gut. It wasn't the best feeling in the world to, well, feel.

I coughed and I felt something warm bubble up from that cough. Something warm and tangy, iron in taste. Blood. I knew without wiping my mouth or looking down that that was what it was.

Joe sounded frantic. He kept telling me to keep myself from falling asleep. I know that...as much as I knew that I may have gotten a concussion or something. But my body would not respond to what I wanted it to do. It seemed like it had a mind of its own as I slowly drifted to sleep.

* * *

><p>He stared at Undinogh who looked amused and Daniel could guess why—he looked disheveled, a large gash was on his left arm, badly bleeding, which kept Daniel from making use of it...much.<p>

Willy and Emma were both struggling on their feet. They, too, showed signs of the battle—wounds that Undinogh inflicted on them. Daniel could see how tired both of his friends were and he wanted, more than anything, to just clap them out of existence—just like what he used to do before. But, he knew how stupid such an action would be now. They were no longer figments of his imagination; they were real. And you just can't clap real people's existence away. If he could do something like that, he would have clapped every single damn notorious alien out of existence. It would have made his job a hell lot easier.

Then, Undinogh's expression changed. He still looked amused, but, unlike before, there was a look of triumph on his face—a look that baffled Daniel. Sure, they look like they were using, but the fight wasn't over yet. As long as he drew breath, Daniel would fight, and he will keep on fighting to win. He was sure Willy and Emma felt the same way he did, although both of them were probably annoyed with him and his decision of leaving Dana and Joe out of the battle.

_We could really use Dana's powers right now._ Daniel admitted to himself.

"Are you still feeling deluded, Alien Hunter?" Undinogh asked him. There was a mocking tone on Undinogh's voice, not that that tone disappeared during their earlier exchange. "Still think you can win?"

"Why do you keep on asking us that?" Emma spat, clearly annoyed. "If we didn't think we could, we'd have surrendered long ago."

"Yeah, are you that dumb?" Willy jeered. "If Khadagh can take you on, so can we."

The smile on Undinogh's face widen. "Ah, is that so?" And then Undinogh began to laugh while he asked, "I wonder if there is something that could change your mind into giving up."

Daniel could catch a hint of...something...in the way Undinogh spoke. He had the feeling that the number two alien on the list had something up his sleeves and that whatever it was, was bad. It worried Daniel, though he chose to hide it.

"Why the hell are you laughing?" Shouted Willy, who chose to point and shoot at Undinogh who merely deflected the bullet with a wave of his hand, causing the energy bullet to ricochet in the room before ending up being causing another hole in the wall.

Undinogh grinned, showing off his sharp canines in the process. And then, he flicked his fingers.

Daniel was surprised when a holographic monitor appeared behind Undinogh. He had thought the electronic devices and technologies in the room would no longer be working with how they'd trashed the place. But, the surprise he felt because of that, was nothing compared to what he felt when he showed what it was that Undinogh wanted them to see.

There, in that large holographic screen, was a live feed from the hall leading to the escape ship.

Everything in the hall was at a disarray: metallic walls were bent, some had fallen over and others were dent; wires ranging in size also littered the walls and the ground, some of them were hanging, one end separated from the others, disrupting the continuity, others fizzled in and out of life, electricity crackling. The debris were also filled with other things, bits and pieces of concrete—though Daniel couldn't quite figure out where that came from,—mangled robotic bodies that were twitching. The whole hallway was dark, the lights were flickering.

Daniel heard Emma gasp and, for a moment, he was confused. He wasn't sure what he was seeing either.

It was only when Willy, hoblled towards him and placed a hand on his shoulder and said, "Daniel—" that Daniel saw what it was he was supposed to be seeing: there, slumped on the floor and badly bleeding was Dana. Joe was with her, but his attention were on the upcoming hordes of metallic soldiers, keeping the enemies at bay.

"It will only be a matter of minutes before they fall, Daniel X," Undinogh taunted. "Your precious girlfriend will either fall before the might of the machines that the 'other' Joe had given me, or she will die from the loss of blood. As for our own time's Joe, well, he's not the most adept of fighter, is he?"

Daniel gritted his teeth, balled his fist. He chose not to look at the image of Dana struggling to breathe, of Joe slowly being pushed back. He chose, instead, to look directly at Undinogh. His gaze held all the anger that he felt at that moment. He wanted to tear the alien apart, to make him pay for everything he has done—to him, and most of all, to Dana.

"Aren't you curious as to how she ended up like that?" Undinogh asked, circling the three young Alien Hunters. "Aren't any of you wondering what happened when you left them there? I'm sure you are wondering, after all, if you think about it, Dana shouldn't be in such a predicament, she has powerful shields at her disposal. Am I right or am I right?"

Undinogh laughed.

"You should thank the 'other' Dana for that." Undinogh went on. "To tell the truth, the other versions of yourselves—those people from that 'other' timeline, that alternate timeline—helped build this ship for me. Everything in this ship is designed to work against all of you. The other aliens here are merely civilians, which is why they wouldn't even attack you if you had met with them head-on."

For a moment, none of them knew what to say. They all had that feeling, one moment or another, that something was wrong. The lack of security, for one had bothered Daniel ever since they stepped in the ship. Now they knew, they had been betrayed by their other selves—with the exception of Khadagh, it seemed.

The thought of betrayal, of the powers that their other selves possessed—the same powers they possessed— made Daniel understand something else.

Dana's powers. They couldn't do anything to Undinogh, not because they were weak, but because Dana—the alternate timeline Dana—did something to the ship that weakened them and their powers. This assault was never in their hands. They had been had.

* * *

><p>I didn't think it was possible. I knew that I was badly wounded, that I was bleeding and that I was maybe even dying. Which was why it didn't seem possible that I would be having a Dream Walk (for that was what it felt like) at that moment—a moment when I was struggling to live and I knew my friends were as well.<p>

I knew the place where I was at, even though I had been there just once. I couldn't explain the sense of relief I felt when I saw who awaited me.

It was, once again, Khadagh. And we were at the top of the cliffs in that uncharted planet where the children were.

"You look like you've had it rough," was Khadagh's greeting to me.

I raised an eyebrow at him, he didn't look good either. He still had bruises, and even a huge black-eye. Though his clothes were no longer disheveled, he still looked like a prisoner.

Khadagh laughed. His laugh made him look like Daniel, albeit older. I shook my head, reminding myself that he _wasn't_ Daniel—_my_ Daniel.

"I'm not one to talk, though, am I?" He laughed once more.

"No, not really," I replied, crossing my arms. I frowned then added, "What are you doing pulling me into another Dream Walk—this is what it is, right? A Dream Walk?"

Khadagh shrugged, confusing me. I wasn't sure if he was telling me that he didn't know or I should already know the answer. I wanted to smack him at the back of the head. He shouldn't find it hard to voice out his answer.

He then motioned for me to follow him, cocking his head to the side and motioning it towards the edge of the cliff. I saw that he wasn't going to say anything to me until then, so I followed him, keeping my pace much slower than his.

Once we got there, Khadagh didn't waste any time. He said to me, "You're dying, Dana."

I knew that. I knew that already. I wanted to tell him that, but all I could do was nod. I couldn't look at Khadagh, though I could feel him looking at me. I knew, without looking that he was worried, sad, angry, and a whole lot of emotions. I know this because even though he wasn't _my_ Daniel, he was still Daniel.

"You're dying," he repeated, barely a whisper. "And I don't want you to die."

I laughed, though half-heartedly. "You're not the only one, Khadahg. I don't want to die either."

"This isn't a joke, Dana." The anger was palpable in his words, though I knew it wasn't directed at me. "Right now, I'm hating myself as much as Daniel must be hating himself right now—if he knows what's happening to you. I wish I didn't hesitate and just killed Undinogh—both from your timeline and mine—without thinking about the rules. That would be easier and you and the others could have focused on dealing with The Prayer. But...I didn't and now you and everyone is in this predicament."

"You're just saying that now, but you know that if you can change it, you would still choose not to." I told him, which wasn't a lie. "You promised your parents, and you know the consequences."

He turned to me, and with eyes blazing with determination said, "For you, I would have."

I was surprised by his answer and the honesty in his words. Khadagh seemed to have caught himself, then he added, "You, Daniel, Emma, Willy, and Joe. I would do anything for you guys. Consequences be damned!" He then laughed bitterly and added further, "I never thought I would actually end up feeling like this again, truth be told. I thought that when I couldn't call everyone from my imagination, that I would end up being alone forever. And then, my mother and father came to get me, bring me here, and I met you and everyone all over again...Though I knew who you all were, knew that you were the _drang_ I had...I also knew you were not mine. I am not Daniel, not any more and not in your time. So, I kept myself away, built walls."

"Why are you telling me this?" I asked, not seeing where this was going. I was dying and he was being all dramatic. If I was going to die, I wanted not to be in the Dream Walk, I wanted to be there and I wanted to at least leave some words behind for Joe to say to Daniel.

"Because I want you to understand why I am going to do what I am going to do." He answered.

The note of finality in his voice frightened me. I knew, then and there, without knowing what exactly he planned to do, that it was going to be big.

"What are you—?" I started to ask, but Khadagh shushed me, putting a finger on my lips. I did not appreciate that. I wanted to bite his finger off.

"This is probably the last time you're going to see me as...me," He went on. His words confused me, as they always did. "Since that is the case, and since I don't care much on consequences any longer...then allow me to do this,"

And then Khadagh did something I never imagined he would do.

He kissed me. On the lips. And he wasn't gentle about it either.

"Shocked" didn't cut it. It took me a while to realize the implications of his actions and a second more to push him away, with all my might—which also included me using my powers. The moment that I did, he disappeared and I found myself back where I had before the dream started: wounded, addled and lying on my back, back in Undinogh's ship.

* * *

><p>Daniel could barely breathe, even though he was still wearing his mask. Undinogh had wrapped one of his scaly hands on Daniel's neck while Emma and her brother lay sprawled on the floor, barely alive but badly beaten.<p>

"You see, Daniel, no matter what you do, you will never be able to defeat me...much less defeat The Prayer," Undinogh gloated. "You're weak. Too weak."

"We're not...done yet!" Daniel spat, even as he tried to claw himself free of Undinogh's grasp. "I can still—"

"You're still going on about _that_?" Laughed Undinogh, "Look around you, Alien Hunter."

Undinogh then raised Daniel even higher off the ground, choking him further. Daniel kicked, struggling as his vision started to get blurry. He could feel himself losing consciousness.

And then, he saw it. He wasn't sure exactly what _it_ was. He didn't know what to call it: vision, hallucination, mirage, dream? The way he was seeing it—whatever it was—was like a dream. Even though he didn't know what, exactly, it was, Daniel knew _who_ it was he was seeing.

_Khadagh..._ he wanted to call out the name of the person that stood just to his side.

Khadagh looked at him and then at Undinogh, then spoke in a way that Daniel felt he was speaking with him through his mind, "Looks like you're in a very tight spot."

_You think?_ Daniel retorted. He could have rolled his eyes at that. _Kind of funny that you're what ends up popping out of my head...at a time like this._

Khadagh laughed, "That's not the first time I heard that today." then he turned serious and said, "You can beat this clown."

Daniel wanted to laugh. He was already at the point of giving up, even though he was giving a show of not wanting to. He couldn't think of a way to defeat Undinogh, not the way he was now...not with his _drang_ all but wiped-out. If his father was around, he would probably be berating him for putting all of them in such danger, but his father hadn't appeared before him, nor had he found time to summon Graff, during the course of this adventure. He wanted to hit his head on the wall. How could he forget to ask for his parents' advice?

"Quit your moping, Daniel." Khadagh reprimanded him. "There's still hope."

_What? I can't think of any way to defeat Undinogh. Not while whatever precautions he had the 'others' installed are still working._

_"_There is a way, though your ingenuity would have nothing to do with it right now."

_What are you—_ and then Daniel understood what this illusion of Khadagh was telling him. He was quick to disagree with the idea. _No. Khadagh warned me not to use it. He told me that power can destroy me as much as it destroyed him. I'm not going to risk it._

"You don't have a choice," Khadahg said calmly, "It's the only way you and the others will survive this. And, you won't be alone. _I_ will help you."

_Great. A hallucination is going to help me. _Daniel couldn't hide the sarcasm in his voice for he knew that the conversation he was having with Khadagh was only one of his own making.

Khadagh sighed. "I'm not a hallucination, Daniel...I know of a way that will allow you to use _that_ power without putting you or anyone else, apart from Undinogh, in danger. But you have to trust me, and you have to agree with it a hundred percent."

Daniel was skeptical, but he was running out of time—and of oxygen. He didn't want to die and he didn't want his _drang_—especially Dana—to die either. He wanted to live and fight another day, preferably against The Prayer. He wanted to finish what he started. It was the reason why Daniel agreed, even though he didn't have much of an idea about what Khadagh wanted to do.

When Daniel finally agreed the hallucination vanished and Daniel found himself back to where he originally was: fighting to get Undinogh to let go of him. He wondered if what he saw really was nothing, until he heard Khadagh's voice, faint yet powerful enough to hear, saying, "This is my final Gift, Daniel X. Use it wisely."

Daniel didn't know what Khadagh meant. But, just as he was about to ponder what that 'gift' could possibly be, he felt something inside him stir. There was a burning sensation, like his whole body was on fire. At first, Daniel thought it was just him feeling it, but then Undinogh exclaimed "W-What's going on?" and suddenly let go of him, Daniel knew it wasn't just him feeling sick.

With Undinogh's hands no longer on his neck, Daniel greedily gulped down air and slowly his eyesight returned to normal. But, even so, the burning sensation didn't lessen. It didn't actually hurt him, on the contrary, whatever the cause was, it was making him stronger, healing his wounds and bringhing him back to top-shape.

And then, Daniel saw things—visions of things—that he knew he shouldn't be able to know, much less see. He couldn't find any explanation for it before Khadagh's voice echoed through his mind again.

"Watch and learn," Khadagh said. "And use these to put an end to all of this. All of my knowledge, my experience, and what remains of my power...I now give it...to you..."

It was the last time Daniel heard Khadagh's voice.


	29. TwoInOne

**A Daniel X Fanfic**

**by Sakura Martinez**

* * *

><p><strong>Disclaimer:<strong>

I do not own Daniel X, or the characters in that story. James Patterson own the rights for them. What I do own is the idea for the fanfic and this fanfic itself.

* * *

><p><strong>Summary:<strong>

After surviving Void's Game, being reunited with his _drang_, and learning the truth about Void, Daniel X leaves with Khadagh to prepare for the imminent battle between Number One and Two. But when both Daniel and Khadagh disappears, The Prayer begins his revenge, seeking the aid of a mysterious group. Now, it's a race against time our heroes to put a stop to The Prayer's latest scheme before it's too late and it will take everything in their power to do so.

* * *

><p><strong>Daniel X: Out of Time<strong>

**Chapter Twenty-Eight**

**Two-In-One**

* * *

><p>Undinogh couldn't understand it as he backed away from Daniel X. He couldn't understand where the boy's powers could possibly be coming from. He had already beaten the young Alien Hunter to the ground, and yet, here is Daniel X again, standing up, much more stronger than he was before...and with the seals in the ship still in place, no less!<p>

Anger flared within Undinogh.

_How dare this child make fun of me!_ He thought to himself. _How dare he pretend that that was the extent of his powers! How dare he make a fool out of me!_

Daniel, however, felt more than anger. He felt disbelief, and confusion, even as Khadagh's memories—for that was what the quick reel in his head was—explained to him what Khadagh did and what it meant for Daniel. Though he was thankful to now stand with more than a fighting chance against his enemy, he couldn't accept what Khadagh did.

"How am I supposed to pay you back for this?" He muttered.

Daniel then shook his head then focused his attention on Undinogh, who was wide-eyed at his sudden recovery.

Daniel smirked and, although he didn't really have the right to, he said, "What's wrong, Undinogh? Why do you look so surprised? I told you I still got something up my sleeves, didn't I?"

Undinogh gritted his teeth and, for the first time since their bout started, it was his turn to charge at Daniel. Daniel stood his ground, ready. He knew all the moves Undinogh might make. He knew all of Undinogh's powers. He knew all of that because of Khadagh.

_I won't let it go to waste, though_... Daniel thought to himself.

The real battle had begun.

* * *

><p>"Dana, are you sure you should be doing that?" Joe asked me, worry was the only expression that had been on his face for the past few minutes.<p>

I bit the insides of my cheek to keep me from saying something snarky. I had pushed myself up and half-crawled to where Joe was taking point before he noticed me and helped me up. After that, both of us had been busy trying to hold our position as hordes of enemies ranging from androids, cyborgs, beefed-up aliens, ghoulish-looking aliens, slimy aliens, and basically every bad race of alien out in the known galaxy.

I wasn't healed, not yet. But as the fight wore on, I was starting to feel less nauseous and had managed to fell more enemies than before, when most of my attacks had bad aim.

Although we Alparians are quick to heal, the process still takes us far longer if we were under stress—which I was feeling at that moment. So, even though my sides were still bleeding and I still had that tangy taste of blood on my mouth (not to mention the feel of Khadagh's lips on mine, though I try hard to forget about _that_), I kept on fighting side-by-side with Joe, all the while wondering how things were doing on Daniel's end.

"Why...are you blushing?" Joe asked me so suddenly that I ended up sending a psychic wave at the wrong direction—although it did end up causing a couple of slime aliens to explode in a gooey mess.

"Don't surprise me like that!" I retorted. "Look what you made me do."

"How did I surprise you exactly?" Joe asked with a frown. "I just asked you why you were blushing, I don't think that would qualify as surprising you."

"Just drop the question, Joe." I replied, taking aim at an incoming Grogan and letting an energy projectile fly towards it before it could fire its Rocket Launcher at us.

"Do I need to ask if it has anything to do with Daniel?"

"Joe—" I warned him. Down goes another Grogan and a Centaurian.

"Right. Daniel-stuff. Got it."

I glared at Joe and he finally dropped the subject.

We continued with our defense and soon we could see that the numbers of our enemies were starting to thin out. I couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief. I wanted to be through with this fight and see if I can give Daniel a hand. I knew that if he wasn't with us yet, that he, Emma and Willy might be having a hard time dealing with Undinogh. I didn't particularly care about his instructions then, at that moment, all I wanted was to ensure that he and my friends were safe and that I would be able to help him in any way that I can.

When Joe finally put down the last of the mechanical monstrosities that had attacked us, he sighed and said, "Now we can get down to business. I sure hope there aren't any more booby-traps inside."

He motioned towards the entrance to the room containing the emergency ship—the room whose doors had exploded the moment I tried to use my powers on it, the room that was clearly booby-trapped with the trap set to go off when I triggered it. The memory of what had happened, the cause of my injuries, made me fuming mad. I wanted to wring the neck of the person responsible for that—although I did have an idea of who it was. I mean, I was still using my psychic barrier on both Joe and myself and I was the only one who was injured. That only meant one thing...which made getting my revenge hard.

I stood, putting weight on one foot then another, as I looked back and forth. First, towards the room that led to the escape ship and then to the hall that Daniel, Willy, and Emma took. I was so busy, contemplating on my dilemma and what I should do that I didn't notice Joe looking at me.

"Go," he said. I turned around and saw Joe smiling, his eyes filled with understanding.

"But—" I wanted to argue that he needed someone with him and that I would still be in no position to help in a fight, especially being wounded as I was.

Joe shook his head, "I don't think there would be any more enemies coming my way for a while. Daniel could use your shield. Besides, you want to go to him, don't you?"

I nodded, "Thank you, Joe."

Joe nodded back at me and, before I forced myself to run as fast as I could without causing excessive bleeding on my wounds, he asked me for a favor, "Make sure that everyone's safe."

"I will." He didn't need to tell me that, and I didn't have to think too hard of the silent request he made to me about Emma.

* * *

><p>He was faster. He was stronger. He didn't have to focus all that hard in order to create something out of thin air. Khadagh's experience and his knowledge gave Daniel the edge to quickly turn the tide of battle, pushing Undinogh further and further back. It didn't take long for Daniel to exact revenge for the wounds the other alien had inflicted on him earlier in their fight.<p>

Though he wanted so much to torture the alien that had caused him and those he cared about so much harm, Daniel couldn't bring it within himself to do so. Even though Khadagh's will, his memories and his knowledge was forcing him to do so. What Khadagh had done in order to save him had caused him to house not only his own thoughts but Khadagh's as well inside his mind. It was like having two people inhabit one body. It was confusing and disorienting and Daniel was sure he would have been sorting things out had he not been fighting with Undinogh.

Daniel had no problems with putting an end to the lives of those on The List. After all, the galaxy is safe without them. What he could never do, what he never had the stomach to do, was to torture someone and he made that known in that battle which wasn't just a battle between Undinogh and him, but between Daniel's own will and Khadagh's. The latter was a much more difficult battle. After all, Daniel was at an even match with Khadagh.

_He deserves to be tortured. He deserves to slowly die...he deserves it after what he did to Dana. _Khadagh's will kept on murmuring to him. He could feel the anger resonating within that will, the same anger that Daniel believed Khadagh truly felt.

_I won't._ He fought back.

On and on that went within Daniel even as his body moved in battle with Undinogh. It was taxing for Daniel. He was tired and he wanted it to be over already. He wanted to check up on his friends most of all. Though there could possibly be more nobler reasons, those were what actually pushed him to silence the angry voice of Khadagh's will inside of him.

With the voice of Khadagh's will gone, Daniel was able to think clearly and with a great deal of force, he skewered Undinogh with the sword that was twice as big as his arm—a sword that not only pierced Undinogh but also electrocuted him for good measure. As if that wasn't enough, Daniel used the one power Khadagh had warned him not to use—the same power he had used during his time in The Game and the whole room was bathed in a prism of colors that sucked the life out of Undinogh.

With that done, and with Undinogh thrashing for the final time as his life slowly came to a close, Daniel slumped to the ground. Too tired to stand up and do anything else.

* * *

><p><em>Losing altitude. Engine 1 and 3, Engine 8 and 9 now out of commission. <em>The artificial intelligence of the ship announced, giving a warning to quickly evacuate the ship. _Ship no longer stabilized._

The AI didn't need to do that. I could feel the ship losing it's balance and it made it harder for me to get to where Daniel and the others or twice I felt as though I was about to puke, even though there wasn't anything left in my system to puke.

Several minutes of slipping, banging my knee on fallen debris, and having to duck and make my way to my destination, I finally arrived.

The room that was supposed to be the cockpit surprised me. For a moment, I couldn't breathe and wondered what that was about, until I saw that the oxygen levels on that room was already non-existent. Using my powers, I created a bubble of oxygen for myself and stepped inside.

It was total pandemonium. Everything was destroyed or in a state of disarray. What's more, there wasn't any movements in the room and it made me fear for the safety and lives of my friends, my _drang_. Putting my own safety on the line, I ventured into the room, my eyes slightly adjusting to the slight dimness as I searched for Emma, Willy, and of course, Daniel. I had to move a lot of debris around before I found Willy and her sister, both of them were unconscious. Relief flooded through me as I checked their pulse and found their hearts beating.

Using the communicator that Joe handed me before I left him, I contacted him.

"I need your help," I told him.

"Is something wrong? Is everyone alright?" Joe's voice fizzled in and out as he asked his questions.

"Yeah, yeah...Willy and Emma are alright. Just...knocked out and bruised but nothing as bad as what I had to suffer." I let him know.

"And Daniel?" He asked just as I was looking around the room, trying to find a clue of where Daniel could be or where he could have gone to. There wasn't a sign of Undinogh. I didn't know if that was a good thing or a bad thing.

"I haven't found him yet, the whole cockpit's in shambles." was my reply. "Undinogh's not around as well."

Joe might have sense how frightened and worried I felt, or he might have heard the slight tremble in my voice as I spoke. Either way, his voice softened as he told me, "I'm sure he's just around there. Hold on, I'm coming."

And with that, he signed out. I waited while also resuming my search for Daniel. The state of the room really irked me and I wanted everything to just blow away and for the room to clear itself up. Oh, if only I could think things like that and it would just happen. Sadly, it didn't and I had to comb the room like a human—no offense.

Joe arrived a couple of short minutes later and I pointed him to where I had left the siblings sleeping. He nodded and walked towards them. He took Emma in his arms and began the painstaking journey back to the escape ship. I didn't think Willy would have minded if his sister went first, and I suppose that was the same reasoning Joe had...apart from the fact that, well, it was Emma.

With Joe no longer around to interrupt my search, I resumed it.

I was starting to get worried again, worried that Undinogh might still be alive and that he had taken Daniel away, when I saw Daniel slumped on the farthest and darkest side of the room. I saw him only because electricity flickered there. I didn't wait for another heartbeat, I immediately ran towards him, all the while praying that he would be alright, that he would be alive.

Not having the same powers to call on anything from my imagination hindered me a bit, especially since I wanted some light. I improvised and used a sphere of pure energy to do what a candle or a flashlight would have done. I saw Daniel's tattered and bloody clothes first, causing me to gasp and fear for him. As I began to inspect him, the fear and worry turn into disbelief. There was nothing wrong with Daniel—no wounds, no bruises, and his heartbeat was strong, his breathing normal.

I couldn't believe that he was merely sleeping and the relief that I felt was tantamount that I ended up slumping beside him. I knew that he should be bruised, maybe even have a broken bone or two, a large gaping wound (based on the amount of blood on his shirt), but there wasn't any of that. He was perfectly...healthy. And, although I was happy that that was the case, I was also confused and I couldn't help but wonder what had happened and if Daniel really was alright.

Joe returned a couple of minutes later and saw me with Daniel—whom I had used my powers to elevate and carry. He was also happy to see that Daniel was alive. I didn't tell Joe about Daniel being more than alive, didn't tell him yet about our "leader's" lack of wounds. I decided to wait until we were away from Undinogh's ship which I was sure would self-destruct any moment now.

With Emma on his arms and Daniel floating closely behind us, Joe and I made our way to means of escape—the lone emergency ship.

The ship was small and with the five of us—three of which were currently unconscious—it was tight. But we made do with what we have. It's not like we had a choice about that, though it was part of the plan to use this ship should Daniel be unable to lend us his powers and create one for us.

We didn't stay long after that. As soon as we were all seated and buckled up, Joe took the helm and flew us out of Undinogh's ship. And he did just in the nick of time, too, for as soon as we did, the whole ship exploded behind us. I don't know how many of Undinogh's men survived, if any...and I wasn't all that concerned about them. I was more concerned about the well-being of my family, my _drang_.


	30. Collision

**A Daniel X Fanfic**

**by Sakura Martinez**

* * *

><p><strong>Disclaimer:<strong>

I do not own Daniel X, or the characters in that story. James Patterson own the rights for them. What I do own is the idea for the fanfic and this fanfic itself.

* * *

><p><strong>Summary:<strong>

After surviving Void's Game, being reunited with his _drang_, and learning the truth about Void, Daniel X leaves with Khadagh to prepare for the imminent battle between Number One and Two. But when both Daniel and Khadagh disappears, The Prayer begins his revenge, seeking the aid of a mysterious group. Now, it's a race against time our heroes to put a stop to The Prayer's latest scheme before it's too late and it will take everything in their power to do so.

* * *

><p><strong>Daniel X: Out of Time<strong>

**Chapter Twenty-Nine**

**Collision**

* * *

><p>The Varjians were ecstatic when we returned to their world. They were so happy about our victory and the death of a common enemy that they even went so far as to prepare a feast in our honor. It didn't matter to them if Daniel had yet to regain consciousness or if Emma and Joe were badly beaten. The Varjians, though lacking in a lot of things, didn't seem to lack enthusiasm when it comes to a good celebration so much so that they were even willing to go all out—fireworks, multitude of cuisines, dances (albeit tribal in nature), and the whole enchilada.<p>

I don't think we would have enjoyed a celebration, though...even if Daniel wasn't unconscious or Emma and her brother were not wounded. The reason for that is because, when we got back to Varjia, Emma and Willy's parents—Windsor and Graciella—were already waiting for us, along with Maerwen and the rest of our mentors, and they did not look happy.

Sure, they were relieved that we came back alive and, though they might hide it, they were glad that there was one less dangerous alien in the universe to worry about, we did end up going against their wishes. I was certain there was a hefty price to pay for disobeying them. But, at that moment, I didn't care much about that. I was worried about Daniel, Emma, and Willy.

"What happened?" Aunt Graciella asked me when she saw Daniel and her children, not to mention our disheveled appearances. "Are they—?"

"No, Aunt Graciella. There's nothing you need to worry about. They're all alright. A little banged up, but just unconscious." Joe was the one who answered her question, thankfully. As he did so, he placed a hand on Aunt Graciella's shoulder. Then he motioned to both me and him saying, "Dana and I are just a bit ruffled, but we didn't get into much trouble...although, you might want to get Dana to take a rest and maybe a blood transfusion. She lost quite a lot of blood back there."

I wanted to hit him for that. I didn't need medical attention, but the "grown-ups" seem to think otherwise as they asked me to stop using my powers on Daniel, took Daniel, Emma and Joe, and then asked me to go to the makeshift infirmary that they had put together in our absence. They didn't even give me time to argue as they ushered me there, separating me from Daniel.

In one of the rooms in the infirmary which held quite a lot of heavy machinery, they had to tranquilize me just to be able to conduct their test and see if I was okay. I wasn't hysterical because of Daniel, mind you. I just wasn't comfortable with having wires attached to my body—something that came from my time spent in Ergent Seth and Khadagh's ship. I didn't know what happened next as I ended up falling asleep just as they were transferring blood to my system.

* * *

><p>I woke up in a hospital bed, back on Terra Firma with no recollection of how I got back there or even how long I've been cooped up in the room. The events of the battle against Undinogh was still fresh on my mind, as if it had happened yesterday. When I looked around me, I noticed that I wasn't the only one in the room with wires connected to my body. Daniel was there, too, though the number of heavy medical equipment that surrounded him was much higher than mine. Heck, I only had one machine connected to my body, giving a beeping sound.<p>

Daniel and I weren't alone either. Emma and Joe were dozing off, side-by-side on a sofa near the door. Willy sat on the chair opposite them, his feet on the coffee table. Uncle Windsor was also asleep by the window of the room, an open book sat face-down on his chest which rose and fell as he snored. Our mentors were no longer around, making me once again question how long I had been unconscious. Aunt Graciella wasn't around as well, though I could come up with a dozen of reasons why—and none of those reasons are one I should be concerned with.

I got up on a sitting position and felt a small pain on my side. I wanted to check how I was healing and if there were any scars (though I guessed that there was going to be), but I was unable to do so, not with the bandages that were wrapped around my torso. It irked me, and so did the beeping sound coming from the machine to my left, not to mention the wires that were attached to my heart. Without thinking, I yanked all the wires out which caused the beeping sound to stop with a single, high-pitched beep that caused everyone sleeping—except for Daniel—to wake up with alarm on their face.

When Uncle Windsor saw that I was up and that I had, in my hands, the wires, he stood up and walked towards me asking, "Dana, what do you think you're doing?"

I looked at him like he was stupid for even asking that question. How many times do I have to tell these people that I don't appreciate having wires attached to my body? Besides, it wasn't like the heart monitor was going to help me get better, it wasn't.

I was spared from having to come up with a sarcastic answer to his question, though when Emma, forgetting for a moment that I was still recuperating, jumped on me and hugged me.

"Dana, you're finally awake!" She squealed, her hug as fierce as possible.

"Y-Yeah." was the only thing I could think of as an answer to her obvious statement before I ended up having to remind her that my side still ached. She lessened her death grip of a hug.

"We were worried went on some kind of hibernation," Joe explained, even though I hadn't asked a single question since I woke up. Then again, the confused look on my face might have said enough. "Aunt Graciella and Uncle Windsor decided to bring us all back here when the sand storm hit Varjian that day when we returned from our fight against Undinogh's forces."

"It was dangerous to stay there, not only because of the weather but the condition that all of you were in. Your wounds could have ended up being infected, and we didn't want more trouble when we can easily avoid it." Uncle Windsor added. "Don't worry, though. You've only been here for a couple of days."

"And by 'a couple of days', dad meant half-a-month." Willy didn't bother to hide the truth to me or sugarcoat it.

My jaw dropped, though not by much. I couldn't believe I had been sleeping for so long, and without having to deal with Dream Walking as well. As far as I could remember, ever since Daniel "rescued" us from Void/Khadagh, that two weeks was the most peaceful two weeks' worth of sleep I ever had. I would have said that I felt like a 'million bucks' if it weren't for the stinging sensation that I could still feel from the wound on my side.

I turned my head to look at Daniel before asking, "What about Daniel?"

"He woke up a couple of times but not long enough to say anything or comprehend anything," Emma answered. "He's okay, though."

"Of course, we don't understand why he still hadn't regained consciousness," Uncle Windsor added. "There's nothing wrong with him physically. Though, mentally, we have no idea. Maerwen didn't want to use her powers on him, though she didn't explain why."

That was strange. Maerwen would have taken the opportunity to delve into Daniel's psyche and learn as much as she could about him. But, the way Uncle Windsor spoke however made me believe that he was telling me something, and I knew what that something was, which also explained why they were all waiting for me to wake up.

"You want me to look into it?" I asked, just to make sure, though I was ninety-percent positive that that was what Uncle Windsor wanted.

He nodded. "If you can manage it. If not, we can just wait for a little while more and see if he would finally wake up long enough without falling back down to sleep."

I examined myself, gauging if I could do what they wanted me to do. With two weeks' worth of sleep, I have the energy needed, but I wasn't sure if my body could handle it. Of course, I was also curious as to what is keeping Daniel unconscious and what is pulling him to unconsciousness whenever he woke up, and so, despite what it could do to me, I told them that I was ready and I could look into Daniel and see what was wrong at that moment. Uncle Windsor didn't try to stop me. None of them did.

* * *

><p>Maerwen taught me how to delve into a person's psyche two days after we started training. She didn't explain to me why I needed to learn it, only that I had to. I didn't believe her. I thought that the psyche was one of the most personal of spaces that a person can have. I didn't like mind reading, and delving into a person's psyche—especially someone who's as unconscious as Daniel—was like mind reading to the highest level. Daniel and I might be close, but I still would have wanted to ask him for permission before doing what I needed to do. But, under the circumstances, I couldn't ask him.<p>

As I cleared my mind and calmed myself, I hoped that Daniel would understand and that by doing the "jump" I would be able to figure out what was wrong with him: if Undinogh ended up frying his brains or not. I hoped not.

One other thing that Maerwen taught me was that each person's psyche had different "landscapes". Even monozygotic twins have different landscapes from one another. Sort of like a fingerprint of the mind, no two individual can have the same landscape...not even clones. According to Maerwen, the landscape of a person's psyche can tell you a lot about that person and can explain a lot of why they think the way they do, act the way they do, and why they are the person that they are.

I had known Daniel for a long time. Though I might have forgotten a lot of things about him over the time that we had been apart, the days that we had spent together since our reunion had rekindled my memories of him so much so that it felt, for me, that we had never been apart all those years. It made me feel like I really did know him, as an Alien Hunter and as a person. It helped that the "Dana" he had created for company had told me things that she thought I needed to know when Daniel let the two of us meet.

Which was why I was surprised by the landscape that appeared before me. I never thought Daniel's psyche would look like _that_.

If there was one word to describe what it was, that word would be "chaotic". It summarized everything about the place. Looking around I couldn't help but note that Daniel's psyche looked like two worlds collided. It wasn't as disturbing as the world where the Lost Children were, Daniel's psyche wasn't as "colorful". It actually looked like Armageddon took place and only a small part of civilization survived. It looked like a scene taken out of a dystopian novel.

Crude buildings stood like they had been forgotten by time while some other architecture looked as though a meteor hit it. There was smog in the air that would have made Emma furious. The sky looked as though a storm was brewing and that whatever that storm was, it was going to be a powerful one. There were dead trees, though there were also trees that had blooms on them, as if fighting to survive in a world that had been poisoned.

"Daniel...what happened to you?" I couldn't help asking, even though I had yet to find the center of his psyche—the place where I can converse with him.

I knew that standing there, staring in dismay at the derelict world that was Daniel's psyche, would do me no good. It wouldn't give me answers and it wouldn't help me bring Daniel back to the world of the conscious. And so, I began to make my way to the center, letting my powers guide me. The more I walked however, the more I came to fear what all of it could mean.

_Did Maerwen know that this was the state of Daniel's psyche?_ I couldn't help but wonder. I hoped not, because I didn't think I could take her words at face value ever again if she had known and didn't tell me about it.

The farther in I went, the more visible the struggle were. Life and death seemed like they were playing a tug-of-war on Daniel's psyche as one portion would be filled with the greenest pastures you could ever see and then the next would be a desolate landscape. It was disconcerting how the place changed from one thing to another.

After what seemed like miles and miles of walking through Daniel's chaotic psyche, I finally arrived at the center.

There was nothing at the center, except for a large tree that looked as though it was withering. Sitting with his back on the tree and his head hung low was Daniel.

I ran towards him, like I always did when I could sense that he was in trouble. And when I got to him, I immediately placed a hand on his shoulder, calling out his name thinking that he was sleeping. He wasn't. And when Daniel looked at me, I was surprised to see the weary look on his face, as if he hadn't been able to sleep for the longest of time.

"Dana," was all he said, and the way he said my name sounded like he forced it out of him.

"Daniel, what happened to you?" I asked. "You look like—"

He didn't let me finish my description of him, "Khadagh. He used some form of power that connected my mind and my will with his. I've been struggling to take control of it. I thought I had it but..." he shook his head. "He's strong. Though I should have realized that. He is me, after all."

I stared at him. I wasn't sure if I heard him right or interpreted what he said right.

"Did you just say that he _fused_ with you?" I asked, incredulous. "Melded his mind with yours?"

Daniel nodded. "Sucks right now since I feel as though I'm having an information overload. He should have thought about something like this happening before he decided to do it...though, in retrospect, maybe I should have asked him what he was planning before I agreed to it."

"I don't understand," I admitted.

"He's teaching me...stuff, sharing memories with me to help me with the upcoming battle with The Prayer," Daniel explained, though he had a hard time doing so. "But, it's hard trying to control it all and contain everything."

"Is that why you couldn't wake up?" I asked.

Daniel nodded and yawned, even his psyche was having trouble coping with Khadagh's recklessness. Then he gave me a sly smile and said, "An interesting memory surfaced just now."

I tensed, even though I had no idea what that memory could be, the way Daniel was looking at me reminded me a bit about Khadagh when he wanted to be snarky or when he wanted to embarrass me. When Daniel's grin widened, I paled recalling the kiss. My skin heat up and my face flushed which made Daniel laugh.

To be honest, I couldn't believe that he was laughing. I mean, another guy _kissed_ me! Shouldn't he be furious at me? Or at Khadagh, maybe?

"W-Why are you laughing?" I asked.

"You know what memory I was talking about, right?" He asked and I wanted to slap him. I kept my mouth shut though. Daniel shook his head and said, "Khadagh seemed to think that what he did was wrong, but his memories tell me that he doesn't feel sorry about it. I'm annoyed at him for forcing himself on you, though...don't get me wrong. I want to punch him for kissing you, but...it's strange."

"What is?" I asked, not sure if he was still talking about the kiss or something else already.

"It feels like I'm both Daniel and Khadagh now...not in the sense that I really was the same person as Khadagh, I mean...that he's a 'me' from an alternate future, but in the sense that he and I really are just one person now..." Daniel had that faraway look on his face. "Does that make any sense? Because, if it does...would that explain why it felt as though Khadagh wasn't the one who kissed you, but I did?" He sighed, then added, "This is confusing..."

I nodded. As confusing as he was trying to put it in words, I did understand what he meant. I had a vague idea about Mind Melding—the thing that Khadagh did. In a sense, what Khadagh did was combine his mind with Daniel, sharing with him everything from memories to ideas, from ideas to powers, from powers to techniques and all sorts of things. It was strange that I need to deal with Khadagh inside Daniel now that their minds have melded, but I suppose that was better than having Daniel lose his mind...though, if he isn't careful, that isn't far from happening.

"I'm not sure how much longer I'll be out of it, though." Daniel went on. "I can't allow myself to wake up. Not yet. Not until I have everything under control here." He then looked at me and said, "I'm sorry, Dana."

I shushed him, putting my finger on his lips. "Don't. Take your time. Just make sure that you do get it under control and that you will wake up eventually."

"Of course I will," a fierce determination flashed in his eyes. "I still have The Prayer to take care of...among other things. When I wake up, I'm going to be much stronger than I was back in Undinogh's ship."

"Good." I said as I stood up, helping Daniel up to his feet again. He managed to stand up, although he had to lean on the tree's trunk to do so. "Because I will be willing to wait for you, Daniel X. Just don't make me wait too long."

Daniel smiled. "I won't."


	31. Epilogue

**A Daniel X Fanfic**

**by Sakura Martinez**

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note:<strong>

Couldn't really resist doing a final double-update today since it's Friday and this is the last chapter of this fanfic (I did promise that I would have all the chapters uploaded before the week ends and I don't do weekend updates unless I feel like it). This is really just a short chapter and it, sort of, paves way for my third Daniel X fanfiction (Armageddon) which will be uploaded sometime within this month...depending on some, uh, things. I already have seven chapters for it finished, so, yeah...

Anyways, hope you guys enjoy this epilogue chapter. (:

* * *

><p><strong>Disclaimer:<strong>

I do not own Daniel X, or the characters in that story. James Patterson own the rights for them. What I do own is the idea for the fanfic and this fanfic itself.

* * *

><p><strong>Summary:<strong>

After surviving Void's Game, being reunited with his _drang_, and learning the truth about Void, Daniel X leaves with Khadagh to prepare for the imminent battle between Number One and Two. But when both Daniel and Khadagh disappears, The Prayer begins his revenge, seeking the aid of a mysterious group. Now, it's a race against time our heroes to put a stop to The Prayer's latest scheme before it's too late and it will take everything in their power to do so.

* * *

><p><strong>Daniel X: Out of Time<strong>

**Epilogue**

* * *

><p>It took a month before Daniel woke up, refreshed and renewed. No one, apart from me and him knew why it had taken that long for him to wake up. I didn't tell the rest of our <em>drang<em>, not even Aunt Graciella and Uncle Windsor what I had seen, heard, and learned in Daniel's psyched. It was one of the things Daniel asked of me just before I left him to deal with the Mind Meld him and Khadagh shared.

That wasn't the last time that I visited him in his psyche, though. I went to him whenever there was a need, whenever something important came up and whenever he called for me during a brief Dream Walk. But, apart from that, I didn't bother him. I didn't want him to have to deal with me and with the Mind Meld. As hard as it was, I forced myself to be patient as I promised him I would.

When he finally did come back to us, everyone noticed how different this Daniel was from the one before. They could sense a new-found confidence and strength in him that made them all the more curious as to what Daniel had gone through while he was sleeping and during the battle with Undinogh. Daniel cooked up a story for them which mostly revolved around him realizing his true potential and feeling confident that we could put a stop to The Prayer who had begun to show signs of starting his campaign of terror on Terra Firma.

I had to roll my eyes when he gave them that story. Though I was bothered by his decision not to share the truth with them, I figured Daniel knew what he was doing...or, at least, I hope he did, he has both his own smarts and Khadagh's to use now, after all.

"It's complicated," Daniel had told me when I asked him why he chose not to tell them the truth. We were at the house Aunt Graciella had rented, having left the mountain cabin.

"I don't see how telling them would complicate things, though," I pointed out. "It's not like you're actually a different person now. You're still you."

He nodded, then looked up at the ceiling. "It's just that, I don't want anyone to know. Not yet."

"But you told me," I said. I didn't like keeping something like this a secret from the others, especially our _drang_.

Daniel laughed, then pulled me closer to him as he said, "Of course. There's nothing I would keep from you, Dana."

I rolled my eyes, "Is that your attempt at trying to get me to tell you Emma's secret?"

Daniel backed away, making a face as he did so, "What? Was I that obvious?"

"Yes."

Daniel had been trying to get me to tell him what Emma had, at one point after his recovery, reminded me to keep secret. I know it's kind of hypocritical of me to not want to tell him about Emma and Joe, but it wasn't my secret to tell and, unlike his own secret, Emma's wasn't "big" in the sense that it wouldn't affect the upcoming battle with The Prayer.

"Oh, come on, Dana, why don't you just tell me?" Daniel whined.

"You know why," I replied. "If you are really that curious and you want to know, then ask Emma."

"Girls..." Daniel muttered then sighed knowing that he wouldn't be able to force it out of me. He had tried so many times, doing all sorts of things—some crazy, to get me to spill it out. Though he was curious, Daniel knew that unless Emma wanted to tell him what it was, he wouldn't be able to get her to speak as well.

I laughed just as Joe entered the house.

"Hey guys, what's up?" He asked as a greeting as he dumped his stuff on the sofa. I didn't think Aunt Graciella would be too happy with the amount of mud he had brought inside the house. Joe, you see, had taken the liberty to set up defensive parameters, towers, and other techs that he believed we would be able to use for surveillance and such. Seeing the defeated look on Daniel's face, Joe was quick to deduce, "Still couldn't get Dana to talk?"

"No, man." Daniel replied with a chuckle, "I don't suppose you know what she and Emma are hiding..."

Joe looked at me and I couldn't help but smirk. Of course he knew what it was and he also knew that I knew.

"Well?" I asked, putting him on the spot.

"I, um..." then he coughed, "I don't think so..."

Daniel raised an eyebrow, "Really?"

Luckily for Joe, Willy came arrived before Daniel could put him in the hot seat.

Seeing a slightly agitated Joe, Willy asked, "What's wrong with you?"

"Nothing,." Joe was quick to answer.

Willy dropped the subject, but not before he saw me still smirking. He frowned but didn't say anything as he grabbed a cup and poured water on it.

"Any news on what's going on out there?" Daniel asked Willy. Willy had taken the duty of listening in to communications and forging alliances with his parents. Why he had decided to take that particular responsibility, I wasn't sure. Willy isn't, after all, the most patient and level-headed person around.

"Nothing big. Everything's quieted down ever since news of Undinogh's demise started circulating." Willy replied as soon as he emptied his glass of water. "A lot are happy but there are those who are rallying up behind The Prayer. It would only be a matter of time now, Daniel...I'm sure The Prayer's going to send you a message, a warning or a challenge."

"I'm ready for that." Daniel said, crossing his hands behind his head.

"Don't be overconfident, Daniel." Emma reprimanded him, as she entered the room as well. A bag of groceries on her hand. Joe, upon seeing the baggage she was carrying, was quick to his feet to help her out. She thanked him before turning her attention back to Daniel. Ever the voice of reason, she said, "The Prayer knows more about you than we know about him."

"She's right," I agreed with Emma. We lacked information...even with Khadagh's added to the mix. "And he has the more powerful force than ours. We have to find something that would definitely turn the tide to our favor."

Daniel nodded and I could see, by the look in his eyes, that the wheels in his mind had begun to turn. He was starting to make plans, I could tell.

In the end, however, Daniel shrugged it off in favor of resting, telling us that we had time. I didn't know if procrastinating was such a good idea, but I did agree with him. Even warriors needed to rest. The thing was, the vacation we had planned for ourselves was shorter than we thought, because it didn't take long for The Prayer to send a message to Daniel.

And it was a very gruesome message.

* * *

><p><strong>Post Author's Notes:<strong>

And that, my friends, is the end of my second Daniel X fanfic. I'm not sure what to feel about this story, mixed-feelings and all that...but I am glad to have written it (despite the low number of comments) and happy that I finished it.

It was hard writing in Dana's perspective since we really aren't given much on the actual books. But, at the same time, it was interesting since even if we were given a few tidbits, seems to enjoy having his readers fill-out the missing pieces of it (apparent with the way he doesn't describe his characters much). I hope I did a good job with it, though. And, I still stand by my reason for writing Daniel X fanfics: I just did not like the previous book.

As I've said, there will be a third Daniel X fanfic coming from me and, like the first one, I will be using the same title as the book, which is Armageddon. I'll try to upload the chapters (as I have already done a lot of them) as soon as I can.

Anyways, I'll wrap this up by saying "Thank you" to all those who took time to read and review this fanfic. Hopefully, you guys will love the third one as well.

Until then, dream on; fly on!


End file.
